Archives

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Extinct Animals

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Extinct Animals

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Extinct Animals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Extinct Animals

Sami Bayly

Lothian Children’s, 2024

130pp., hbk., RRP $A39.99

9780734421395

From the introduction…

Extinction is not an unusual phenomenon. In fact, 99 per cent of species that heave ever roamed the earth are now extinct. Most prehistoric animals no longer exist because of five mass extinction events that happened over a 540-million-year period. Research continues to this day to discover the exact conditions that the the Big 5 but each one was the result of catastrophic events like cooling climate, volcanic eruptions or, in the case of dinosaur extinction, an asteroid colliding with the planet 65 million years ago. 

Today , the rate at which species are becoming extinct is thought to be 1000 to 10 000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. Hunting, overfishing, habitat destruction , pollution, climate change and the introduction of invasive species are all modern causes of extinction. If we aren’t careful, the sixth mass extinction event will be the result of human choices and actions…

Sadly, words like ‘extinction’, ‘endangered’, ‘sustainability’, ‘climate change’ are all part of the vocabulary of even our younger students these days, and learning about the destruction of the environment and the need to protect the planet are an integral part of the classroom curriculum as much as literacy and maths.  Thirty years ago I was asked to write a series of teaching units focused on sustainability and based on children’s stories for a national curriculum body, and while we were able to identify a sufficient number eventually, it was not an easy task.  Today almost every other book has an environmental message of some sort.

Nevertheless, children have always  been fascinated by those creatures that are extinct, creatures that they are not ever going to see again in their lifetime (unless the science and ethics of cloning are resolved) and in this new release from award winning, natural-history illustrator Sami Bayly , they can discover so much information about 60 of the natural world’s 45 300 extinct and critically endangered animals  whether that be something familiar like the African Forest Elephant which is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, something long-gone like the quinkana, a large land-dwelling crocodile, or something close to home like the southern corroboree frog, also critically endangered. Each has its own double-page spread with a full=page full-colour illustration as well as data and details about their appearance, diet, status, habitat and other ‘fun facts’.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

At a time when there is a belief that “everything is available on the internet”; our children have greater access and connectivity than ever before; and some schools are dismantling their non fiction collections, it can be unusual for students to make more than a general inquiry for “books about…”  But when you discover them seeking out a particular author and requesting “anything new from Sami Bayly” in the way they would ask for something by Anh Do or another favourite fiction author, then you realise that not only do they have a deep and abiding interest in the world around them- testament to the efficacy of the curriculum –  but they know whose work is accurate, current, reliable and accessible. 

Read any bio of Sami Bayly and it is littered with awards she has won for her work, and my prediction is that this is another that will be attracting great attention.

 

Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn

Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn

Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn

Justin Anderson

Jo Weaver

Walker Books, 2023

32pp., pbk., RRP $A17.99

9781529513912

As winter slowly lets go of its tenacious grip of the Arctic regions and cracks appear in the ice, a pod of narwhals starts its journey to the islands north of mainland Canada.  Much like the humpback highways along the coasts of Australia,  this is an annual migration as these strange, almost mythical “unicorns of the sea” follow their instincts to find warm summer waters that  offer plentiful food and a place to give birth to the next generation. 

Narwhal Migration Routes

Narwhal Migration Routes

But despite being up to 5 metres long and weighing 1800 kilos, there are those that are bigger and fiercer and just as hungry, so the old narwhal, who has seen 50 seasons already, must find a way to keep his pod safe. For other Arctic creatures are also on the move searching for the same things.

Another in the wonderful Nature Storybooks series combining accessible narrative, information and realistic illustrations, this is written by the producer of a BBC program on the springtime melting of Arctic ice that marked the first time narwhal migration was captured on film and introduces a creature that for many, like me, only existed in fiction.  But, indeed. while there are estimated to be only about 80 000 left and climate change is having a profound impact on those as sea ice shrinks and more creatures are competing for the same food source, they are very real unique members of the whale family distinctive because of the single tooth that males (and a few females) have -a  tusk that grows out like a 180cm  spear,

One that is almost certain to inspire your budding marine biologists to go on a reading hunt to find out more. 

 

Purinina

Purinina

Purinina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purinina

Christina Booth

CSIRO Publishing, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781486317264

“At the bottom of the world, on the edge of an island, through a deep valley lined with pine trees that point to the sky, deep in the darkest corner of a warm , dry cave…” So begins the story and the life of one of Australia’s most iconic creatures – Purinina, the Tasmanian Devil.

Nurtured by her mother as she grows from being a jelly-bean sized baby attached to a nipple in her mother’ pouch, to being a mother herself, young readers can follow this new, revamped version of the 2007 classic that captivated so many.  Life is not easy for Purinina ( the official indigenous name for the species) particularly as her mother dies before she and her brothers are independent, and there are strange things to learn as she grows up such as the nature of the “tree that walks, with a light for an eye” who lifts her dead mother and carries her away.

As iconic and integral to the story of Tasmania as the Tasmanian Tiger, the misnamed Devil sits in an elite group of creatures unique to this continent, sadly on the IUCN Redlist  of endangered species because as well as the usual threats of loss of habitat and other human impacts, it is plagued by Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) and so this beautifully told story with its informative back matter is an important addition to the small but growing collection that raises awareness of this species and its vulnerability. Teamed with titles like Tasmanian Devil by Claire Saxby from the Nature Storybooks series, and Devils in Dangera novel by Samantha Wheeler, it could form the basis of any investigation into some of our not-so-prominent fauna as well as demonstrating how humans are now actively seeking to undo the harm that has been inflicted on our wildlife over time, which, in itself, can offer students hope that the planet is not doomed as they are consistently told.  Teachers’ notes are available to assist a deeper study.

When this was first released in 2007, it became a CBCA Notable and given the increase in awareness and activity in environmental preservation,  it has the potential to do so again.

Little Horses

Little Horses

Little Horses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Horses

Deborah Kelly

Jenni Goodman

Wombat Books, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781761111310

Out in the bay, where sailboats glide

Little horses drift and glide

Changing colours so predators pass

In gardens of sponge and coral and grass

In the calm peaceful waters, disturbed only by the rise and fall of the tide, little seahorses spend their lives swaying with the movement of the water, occasionally spotted by sharp-eyed scuba divers who are lucky to see them amongst the seaweed. They give birth and raise their young in a way that only seahorses do, continuing a cycle that is generations old.

But then a storm hits the bay and the seahorses are swept away from their home by the tumbling, crashing waves to a barren place where there are no sponges, coral and grass until…

Inspired by true events when severe storms hit Port Stephens, NSW between 2010 and 2013 and almost wiped out the fragile population of White’s Seahorses (hippocampus whitei) – so much so that it was declared endangered on the IUCN list – this story tells the story of how scuba diver David Haraski spotted two seahorses beginning to build a new home on an old lobster pot that had also been swept away bit which was starting to sprout new corals and sponges. With the adage, “If we build it, they will come” in mind, in 2018 Haraski  built and placed the first seahorse hotel onto the Port Stephens seabed – and it worked.  Haraski the tried his concept in Sydney Harbour where there were other endangered populations and now these seahorses hotels are springing up around the world, including a dedicated breeding program at Sydney Sea Life.

This is such a positive spin on how humans are working to save the environment and its creatures that it deserves a place in any library collection to support the environment and sustainability curriculum. The gentle rhyme has a rhythm that mimics the wave movement, building to a crescendo when the storm hits, and all set against eye-catching artwork that is so lifelike.  There are notes about both the seahorses themselves and the seahorse hotels to add context and whet the appetite to know more and explore further.

With summer beach holiday memories still fresh in the mind, this is the ideal time to encourage students to think what lies below the yellow sands, beneath the rockpool calm and beyond the sparkling waters and used together with Beach Song and Voice of the Sea, there is the trifecta of storybooks to form the basis of the investigation.

 

 

 

Wollemi: Saving a Dinosaur Tree

Wollemi: Saving a Dinosaur Tree

Wollemi: Saving a Dinosaur Tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wollemi: Saving a Dinosaur Tree

Samantha Tidy

Rachel Gyan

CSIRO Publishing, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781486316083

Imagine if, in the course of your daily work, you discovered something so significant that only a handful of people were ever allowed to know where you had been and even they were sworn to secrecy.  

This is the story of the discovery of the Wollemi pine, a tree that can grow to over 40 metres tall but whose existence was unknown until just 30 years ago, when Ranger David Noble found a clutch of them growing in a deep gorge in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. A tree so old that it dates back to the dinosaur period and so rare that there were less than 100 in existence at the time.  No wonder its location remains a secret so that sightseers can’t traipse in and bring in diseases on their shoes, damage the site and perhaps wipe out those remaining so it is gone forever.

Sadly, though, humans aren’t the only threat to this ancient species and this is the story not just of the tree but the remarkable efforts that were made to protect the grove and the gorge during one of NSW infamous fire seasons, for surely, something that has descended from a family of trees going back 200 million years, and has survived ice, fire and the passing of many generations deserves to be saved no matter what.

This is another remarkable publication from CSIRO Publishing shining the spotlight on yet another unique Australian creature so that our youngest readers can start to build their awareness and knowledge or the amazing things we share this landscape with, and hopefully, with that knowledge and awareness, become its protectors.  Introducing Mia, the schoolgirl daughter of botanist Kate, brings the story right into their realm and when Mia suggests that her class plant a seedling to help conserve the Wollemi, they might be inspired to do the same thing as they explore the story further through the teachers’ notes

Wollemi pine saplings to be auctioned off for 30th anniversary of species’ discovery

Banjo, the Woylie with Bounce

Banjo, the Woylie with Bounce

Banjo, the Woylie with Bounce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banjo, the Woylie with Bounce

Aleesah Darlison

Mel Matthews

Puffin, 2022

32pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781760899257

For most of his short life, Banjo the woylie has stayed safe with his mum in her pouch or her nest but as he gets a little older, he ventures out at night in search of food for this little woylie likes two things above all others – mushrooms and bouncing! But there are those like foxes and feral cats who like woylies just as much and when one startles Banjo, he bounces off … only to find himself far from home and his mum with no more bounce left in him.  And it seems worse is yet to come because he is tempted by the sweet smell of fresh fruit and finds himself caught in a trap!

Before Europeans settled Australia, the woylie, also known as the brush-tailed bettong was found over much of Southern Australia but now they are classified nationally as endangered and even presumed extinct in New South Wales., mostly due to predation by foxes and feral cats.  So this addition to the Endangered Animal Series which focuses on our lesser-known indigenous creatures that are threatened, at the very least, and which includes Poppy, the Punk Turtle  and Coco, the fish with hands and Rusty the Rainbow Bird, highlights the plight of these tiny creatures  bringing their stories to younger audiences who are just beginning to understand that there is a wider world around them.

As with the others, this one also features bright, bold illustrations which  catch the eye immediately and a story written in simple but accurate vocabulary which respects the young reader’s intelligence, and which is supported by fact boxes that offer more information. Perfect for those with an interest in the natural world and who are looking to find out more. 

At the same time, its format is also the perfect model for older students to base a story and an investigation of another little-known creature of their own.  Start by asking , “What would Aleesah Darlison and Mel Mathews have needed to know before they could begin one of these books?”  An opportunity for meaningful research as well as those who prefer writing fiction and those who prefer writing non fiction and those who prefer illustrating to collaborate. 

 

 

The Frog Book – Nature’s Alarm

The Frog Book – Nature’s Alarm

The Frog Book – Nature’s Alarm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Frog Book – Nature’s Alarm

Sue Lawson

Guy Holt

Wild Dog, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781742036571

Sometimes on a clear, still night if you’re lucky you can hear the local frogs – even luckier if it is the sound of the pobblebonk that you will hear. But rather than curse them for keeping you awake, you should bless them because they are a sign that the local environment is healthy.  For frogs are often the first to show that things in their habitat are not well, and, in this book that teaches young readers all they need to know about frogs generally, they also learn that it is the frog’s thin permeable skin  that is the barometer for change.  Because as well as allowing life-giving air and water, it also absorbs pollutants and chemicals, and is sensitive to salinity and temperature changes. thus when frogs get sick, scientists know that there is something more concerning happening.

Most young readers are familiar with frogs because even if they haven’t heard them, they are usually one of the focal points of any studies about life cycles that children undertake, and this is a comprehensive book perfectly pitched at young independent readers so they learn not only about the crucial role of the creatures but why and how they, themselves, can help them through their own actions as well as how to build a frog-friendly habitat. Accessible text, large colour photos combined with detailed illustrations and comprehensive teachers’ notes linked to the Australian Curriculum make this an essential part of any collection of resources about these special creatures. 

For a creature that has survived on the planet since the days of the dinosaurs, it is a sad indictment that now, in Australia alone, there are more than 40 species listed as endangered or vulnerable. So when the pobblebonks and the other species that live in our dam start their nightly chorus it is time to celebrate that all is well in their patch of the planet – and just pull a pillow over my ears. 

The Forgotten Song: Saving the Regent Honeyeater

The Forgotten Song: Saving the Regent Honeyeater

The Forgotten Song: Saving the Regent Honeyeater

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Forgotten Song: Saving the Regent Honeyeater

Coral Vass

Jess Racklyeft

CSIRO Publishing, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781486316403

Once upon a time, the soft warbling melody of the regent honeyeater would “bounce of trees, skim across billabongs and echo through woodlands.” But, as “trees turned to towers, billabongs to buildings, and the woodlands to carparks…and forests turned to farms” many birds flew away, never to return. But when Regent felt the urge to sing the song to attract a mate that had been passed from father to son for generations, he couldn’t remember it.  And there was no one to remind him.  He searched the forest listening to the songs of others for a hint of the tune, he even tried out a few of them himself, but no one came…

How will the species survive if he can’t remember the tune, and have a son of his own in time…

Once found frequently in the woodlands of south-eastern Australia, the regent honeyeater  is now found only in three regions –   around Chiltern-Albury in north-east Victoria, and at Capertee Valley and the Bundarra-Barraba region in NSW – and is officially listed as “critically endangered” with an estimated overall population of just 350-400, probably less.  So this lyrical, beautifully illustrated story is another brilliant wake-up call for young readers not only about the impact of urban sprawl on this species in particular, but on our birdlife generally.  Accompanied by some basic facts and a timeline stretching back to First Nations peoples, young readers learn about the importance of bird-song in perpetuating a species and how the loss of potential mates can have devastating consequences. But all is not lost and there are programs in place to preserve and increase those that are left including a national plan  largely co=ordinated by Birdlife Australia.

As with all these publications for young readers, once again the plight of a likely-unknown species is brought to their attention, offering an insight not only into the diversity of Australia’s indigenous wildlife but also the threats they face and what even young individuals like them can do about it.  So even if this is not a species relevant to their particular region, little ones can investigate those that are and what it is that they might be able to do (or not) to ensure there is a future for them.

Both Coral and Jess have provided a unique approach for developing an awareness, if not an understanding, that is engaging, helping all of us to realise that those bird calls we hear every day but take for granted, have both meaning and purpose for the birds that sing them.  They are more than just melodies for our pleasure. 

Sightings of critically endangered regent honeyeater in NSW give conservationists hope  

ABC News, July 1, 2023

Facebook, August 20, 2024

Swifty – The Super-fast Parrot

Swifty - The Super-fast Parrot

Swifty – The Super-fast Parrot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swifty – The Super-fast Parrot

Stephanie Owen Reeder

Astred Hicks

CSIRO Publishing, 2022

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781486315918

   

In a hollow in a Tasmanian blue gum in a Tasmanian forest, a female swift parrot lays three eggs, Even though all three hatch, only one survives the perils of the forest, and learns which nectar is the sweetest and which lerps are best. 

As the Tasmanian weather cools and winter looms, Swifty joins the few remaining parrots of her species to make the 250km flight across Bass Strait to the mainland territories of Victoria, NSW, ACT and south-east Queensland following the blossom trail.  One of only two species of parrot that migrates, Swifty’s journey takes her on a perilous 4000km round trip but even a return to Tasmania does not guarantee safety as she finds the hollow in her tree already taken and so she has to make yet another journey to one of the outlying islands to breed in safety. 

Once again. CSIRO Publishing has employed top-shelf writers and illustrators to bring young readers a story that introduces them to another of Australia’s critically endangered species, raising awareness and understanding that there are so many of these lesser-known creatures that need protection, safety and help as their habitat declines.  As well as offering tips for kids on how to spot one in their backyard, how to help protect them and how to help further, there are comprehensive teachers’ notes  to enable deeper study. 

Another one to add to your collection from this publisher dedicated to ensuring our young readers know the inhabitants of their environment, a collection that includes On the Trail of the Plains-Wanderer, SwoopAmazed! CSIRO’s A to Z of Biodiversity A Shorebird Flying AdventureTiny Possum and the Migrating MothsOne Potoroo  and Hold On! Saving the Spotted Handfish

 

On the Trail of the Plains-wanderer

On the Trail of the Plains-wanderer

On the Trail of the Plains-wanderer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the Trail of the Plains-wanderer

Rohan Cleave

Julian Teh

CSIRO Publishing, 2022

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781486314478

Far out west, on the grassy plains straddling the borders of New South Wales and Victoria, lives a little bird, the only one of its kind in the world.  With no other relatives in its family tree, and itself moving closer to extinction because its habitat is diminishing as the land is farmed, and threats like foxes and other predators constantly endangering them, it is one of the world’s rarest and most threatened species.

But on this, National Threatened Species Day (recognised on September 7 because that’s the anniversary of the death in Hobart Zoo in 1936 of the last thylacine), it is time to shine a spotlight on this little creature to make it, and its plight, more widely known.  Although the scientists have been able to start a captive-breeding program, which includes using a feather duster in an unusual way, the birds lead such secretive lives it is not an easy task.

Told in a facts-rich narrative with life-like illustrations, with further information at the back as well as teachers’ notes, this is another opportunity to highlight another seriously endangered creature that is not as well-known as others. Even if the plains wanderer is not in our particular neighbourhood, other species are and students can be encouraged to consider their ecological footprint and what they can do to help so that their awareness is raised and they realise that even an individual can make a difference so Australia’s pitiful record of species loss can be stemmed. 

Now is the time to introduce our students not only to this little bird – adults are just 15-19cm high and weigh 40-95 grams- but to other unique Australian species through books like Amazed! CSIRO’s A to Z of Biodiversity , A Shorebird Flying Adventure, Tiny Possum and the Migrating Moths, One Potoroo  and Hold On! Saving the Spotted Handfish so that other species don’t go the way of the thylacine.