Tag: emus

Echidna Jim Went for a Swim, by Phil Cummings & Laura Wood

The animals floated on the waves.
They BOBBED and BOUNCED.
SURFED and SPLASHED.
They were having a wonderful time.
Until…
Echidna Jim went for a swim.

It’s a very hot day, but the animals don’t mind. Dingo has fixed the old blue bus that used to sit in the creek – and he’s taking everyone to the beach for a swim. At the beach everyone blows up their inflatable toys and swim rings, and has a lot of fun – until Echidna Jim joins in. His spikes wreak havoc, popping the inflatables – which could be a disaster, but instead, adds to the fun as the animals whoosh around.

Echidna Jim Went for a Swim is a humorous picture book story featuring lots of favourite Australian animals, including the echidna, the wombat, a platypus, an emu, a kangaroo and more, as well as all the fun of a bus ride and a trip to the beach. With lots of golden sand and watery aquas and blues, as well as the colourful inflatables and the browns and greys of the animals themselves, the illustrations fill the pages with movement and fun.

Echidna Jim Went for a Swim, by Phil Cummings & Laura Wood
Scholastic, 2016
ISBN 9781760152994

Karana by Uncle Joe Kirk, with Greer Casey and Sandi Harrold, ill Sandi Harrold

Karana made a beautiful nest

Then groomed his feathers to look his best.

When emu ladies came strolling by,

He started his dance to catch their eye.

One lovely lady with very long legs,

Sat on his nest and laid SIXTEEN EGGS

Karana made a beautiful nest

Then groomed his feathers to look his best.

When emu ladies came strolling by,

He started his dance to catch their eye.

One lovely lady with very long legs,

Sat on his nest and laid SIXTEEN EGGS

Karana the father emu makes a nest. He courts a female emu then sits on the eggs until they hatch. When they hatch he rears them, showing them the foods to eat, keeping them safe until they are big enough to survive on their own. When his chicks are independent,  it’s time for Karana to make a new nest. Karanais told in simple rhyme with text in white set on coloured background with painted illustrations generally on single pages. Emu is inquisitive and engaging and his chicks delightful.

Karana tells the story of a father emu and his chicks. Text is simple and rhythmic with repetition, easy to listen to, easy to build on. Biographical information on the final page introduces Uncle Joe Kirk, a Wakka Wakka elder who is passionate about sharing traditional stories. The final page also offers information about the importance of the emu in Wakka Wakka culture. Karana is an engaging illustrated story for pre- and early-schoolers. It could also be used in a variety of ways with older children, connecting story with the land, and introducing science concepts. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

Karana, Uncle Joe Kirk, with Greer Casey and Sandi Harrold, ill Sandi Harrold Scholastic Australia 2014 ISBN: 9781743623138

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Have You Seen My Egg? by Penny Olsen ill Rhonda N. Garward

Oh no,

I’ve lost an egg!

Excuse me, Maggie and Matt,

have you seen my egg?

It’s big and green with

a very hard shell.

Oh no,

I’ve lost an egg!

Excuse me, Maggie and Matt,

have you seen my egg?

It’s big and green with

a very hard shell.

Emu has lost an egg and the search is on to find it. Emu asks the magpies, an echidna, a frill-neck lizard as well as beach and ocean-dwellers. Each responds that they’ve not seen the egg and describes their own eggs – larger, smaller, softer, etc. 1/4 size flaps on each page reveal their own babies hatching. Eventually, he finds his own first hatchling. Each opening shows adult animal, egg and hatchling of a different species. Final spreads show paintings and photos from the National Library as well as further information about the featured species. ‘Have You Seen My Egg’ is a sturdy paperback with strong life-flaps and end flaps.

On the face of it, this is a simple text about Australian animals and their eggs/hatchlings. And it works well on this level. But for young readers who like a little more, there is plenty of information and extra pictures (very useful for the parent/teacher sharing this book with children!) ‘Have You Seen My Egg’ is pitched at preschoolers but will also find fans in early schoolers.

Have You Seen My Egg?

Have You Seen My Egg Penny Olsen ill Rhonda N. Garward

NLA Publishing 2013 ISBN: 9789642277886

Enoch the Emu, by Gordon Winch & Doreen Gristwood

Enoch looked at the eggs
as Wilhelmina disappeared down the track.
“HUH!” he said. What a fuss about
a little bit of egg sitting!”

Enoch the Emu is good at kicking, eating, strutting and hanging out with his mates at the Emu Club, but he is not good at doing his bit around the nest. When his wife Wilhelmina gets sick of looking after the eggs she has laid, she decides to leave. Now Enoch must look after the eggs. At first he thinks it will be easy, but as the weeks drag by he realises just how hard it is. Still, when the eggs hatch he is as proud as can be – and can’t wait to show off his chicks to his mates at the club.

Enoch the Emu is a classic picture book, first published in 1984 and newly rereleased. A fun, fictional story, it is based on the fact that it is the male emu who sits on the eggs laid by the female and then raises the chicks. The illustrations are gently whimsical, with lots of little details for youngsters to spot and enjoy

A timeless treasure, it is wonderful to see Enoch the Emu back in print.

 

Enoch the Emu, by Gordon Winch & Doreen Gristwood
Scholastic Australia 2013
ISBN 9781742838717

Available from good bookstores and online.