It is a great time to be a young reader. There are so many books now available with a focus on the natural world here in Australia. We have an incredibly rich natural environment that can be understood through various lenses such as science and through the eyes of First Nations people and their deep connections and cultural obligations with nature. The books reviewed here are all relevant to the ecosystems of south-east Queensland.
I would recommend all the books to those that have an interest in understanding fire in the landscape, plant and animal interactions with fire, the very important role hollows play in the ecosystem, and the story about where have all the Christmas beetles gone.
My 8-year-old daughter, Pippa, read all the books to me and found words in some books more challenging than in others. This was an opportunity for me to explain various concepts. I would recommend that parents read the glossary first to have some answers to questions at the ready. Pippa especially loved the books that had a lot of rhyme. The illustrations were amazing in all the books.
Craig Welden
Land for Wildlife Officer,
Logan City Council Land for Wildlife member, Brisbane
Book Reviews by Pippa Welden
Land for Wildlife member
The Gap, Brisbane
Life in a Hollow
By David Gullan
Illustrated by Suzanne Houghton
The book has lots of interesting facts, including about a branch falling off and bugs eating, then skinks moving into the cracks. I never knew that bugs help to create hollows and help to make it bigger. The book makes me feel happy as I know all sorts of animals have homes. I loved it when the rosella moved in. The baby rosella was cute. I would recommend this book to my friends and especially like the possum, galahs, skinks, kangaroos, actually everything about it.
Hardcover | 2023 | $25
32 pages | 25 x 25 cm
Also as ePDF and ePUB
CSIRO Publishing
www.publish.csiro.au
The Perfect Hollow
By Cate Storey
Illustrated by Sarah Matsuda
It was fun to read as it was a poem and poems are fun to read. I thought when the owl first offered the home to the glider, she was being nice, but actually she wanted to eat the glider. That made me feel sad. As I read on, I was happy as the glider found a home. I would recommend this book to my friends.
Hardcover | 2023 | $25
32 pages | 25 x 25 cm
Published by Wet
Season Books
wetseasonbooks.com.au
Where are all the Christmas Beetles?
By Suzanne Houghton
It was fun to read because it has beetles in it and I like beetles. The book made me think a lot. It had a lot of other beetles in that I didn’t know about. It was a very interesting book and my favourite part was the beautiful drawings. I would recommend this book to the whole universe. (Pippa has been learning about poem structure in school and was thrilled to be able to teach her Dad about poem structure using the book).
Hardcover | 2023 | $25
32 pages | 25 x 25 cm
Also as ePDF and ePUB
CSIRO Publishing
www.publish.csiro.au
Alight
By Sam Lloyd
Illustrated by Samantha Metcalfe
I found the book very interesting, and my favourite part was seeing the Antechinus having babies. (Pippa stopped and then remembered that we have an Antechinus in the freezer for the Museum). Pippa was curious and asked why didn’t the damselflies and dragonflies just fly away instead of sheltering from the fire. I love the fairy wrens on top of the log but didn’t like the fox creeping up to the Antechinus. My friends would love to read this book.
Hardcover | 2023 | $25
32 pages | 25 x 25 cm
Also as ePDF and ePUB
CSIRO Publishing
www.publish.csiro.au
Thank you for your lovely review. So glad you like my books.