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Bear to the Rescue

Oct5
Bear to the Rescue

Bear to the Rescue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear to the Rescue

Romane Cristescu & Nic Gill

Sylvia Morris

CSIRO Publishing, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A26.99

9781486314904

Some dogs are made to be curl-in-your-lap, sleep-all-day dogs, but not Bear.

Bear was a bounce-about, full-of-energy, make-mischief working dog who needed to be kept busy and if he didn’t have a job to do, he made his own.  Some owners called him naughty, and others called him bad until he met Romane who realised that what Bear needed was a job.  And because she, as one of the researchers setting up the Detection Dogs for Conservation as part of a program to protect koalas, knew that his intensity, energy and playfulness that was so frustrating for his series of owners was just what was needed for a detection dog, Bear found his place in life.

After lots of intensive training, Bear learned to sniff live koalas in the wild through the scent of their fur, helping them be monitored by the researchers or be taken for treatment if they were ill.  Until the summer of 2019-2020 when the worst bushfires ever recorded in Australian history, devoured the landscape of south-east New South Wales, swallowing everything in their path, leaving very little left for the creatures that had survived the flames to eat, shelter and thrive.  And now Bear’s talents had a new role – searching the devastation for surviving koalas, particularly in the Two Thumbs Wildlife Sanctuary -a wildlife reserve just 50km from where I live which had not only been razed by the fire twice but which was also the scene of the C-130 air tanker crash – eventually finding nine koalas, all of which were taken into care at the ANU and later returned to the sanctuary. And, as well as saving the koalas, his very appearance on the site brought healing to those whose hearts needed a boost at the time –  all in exchange for a game with a ball, and maybe some pizza, chicken or sardines!

Told by Bear himself, through the words of his handler, Romane Cristescu,  with extensive author notes at the end, this is a rare story of happiness and hope that has emerged from that dreadful summer that caused such heartbreak and horror, particularly as another fire season is now on our doorstep. For the little puppy who drove his original owners to distraction by his self-imposed tasks of being a shoe-finder, interior designer and renovator is now an international hero with lots of awards, many online references and videos including a documentary, an entry in Max Hamilton’s book Dogs With Jobs, and now his very own book!

 

The Peach King

Oct3
The Peach King

The Peach King

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Peach King

Inga Simpson

Tannya Harricks

Lothian Children’s, 2025

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

9780734418517

In the orchard, an ancient tree whose tangled branches form a crown, the Peach King watches over the younger trees as they grow and change as Mother Nature and the seasons cycle, warning of weather and calling the birds when the grasshoppers threaten.  Little Peach Tree blossoms and fruits, loses its leaves and shivers through winter in the endless rotation of life as the weather works through the annual patterns of life on the far south coast of New South Wales.  

But changes are coming as the rains come less often, the neighbouring forest turns brown, Peach King’s limbs turn brittle and fall, and as the air itself crackles and shimmers, people came and picked every peach, ready or not, off the branches…

And then comes the fire…

Described as “a contemporary fable about the resilience of nature” because eventually the rains come and while the Peach King is lost, Little Peach Tree and the others in the orchard, literally dig deep and begin the cycle again, it is in the author’s notes that the origins of the story are revealed – the Black Summer of 2019-2020 when the fire dragon devoured so much of the south-east of NSW, particularly the Currowan fire which began just north of Bateman’s Bay and raged for 74 days destroying so much in its relentless push eastward as it joined with other fires, stopped only when it reached the sea, and the torrential rains which finally fell in February. So while this is a story about the strength and endurance of Mother Nature as the trees sprout new growth, the birds return and the Little Peach Tree’s limbs twist and grow into a crown, because the impact of the fire is still being felt, and fire season is on our doorstep again, it could be a trigger for some who are still recovering. 

Beyond that though, this is a story that explores the concept of life cycles, the constant renewal of life in the landscape,  generational change  as young grow and mature and take their place as leaders while acknowledging and building on those who have gone before, all supported in various ways through the artistry of Harricks, so as well as possibly being a trigger it could also be a pathway forward as despite the devastation, the reader is taken beyond that to a thriving future. As well as personal memories – we, ourselves, evacuated twice – there are plenty of images of blackened landscapes that record how it was, and how, five years on, the extent of the recovery is evident.  The ‘then’ scars are still evident, but the ‘now’ images are visible, offering hope and expectation of a more positive future. 

As with most other books, how this one is interpreted will depend on what existing knowledge is brought to the reading.  For those who did not or have not been through the experience, it offers scope for delving deeper into climate change, environment and sustainability and other phenomena, while for those who remember the time when the sky was black at midday and even breathing was difficult, it offers a chance to reflect and mark the milestones that have been achieved and continue moving forward. 

 

 

Smarty Pup 3: To the Rescue

Oct11
Smarty Pup 3: To the Rescue

Smarty Pup 3: To the Rescue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smarty Pup 3: To the Rescue

Anh Do

Anton Emdin

A&U Children’s, 2023

160pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781761068959

After Lily lost her mum, life was a little ordinary and sad,  but things changed when her Dad decided they could be a family of three again by getting a dog – something both Lily and her mum had wanted for ages.  At the animal shelter, Lily chose JJ, who was kind of clumsy, but something about his smiley face made her really happy inside. They changed even more when Lily discovered  that JJ could talk and is actually super smart. He can speak a number of languages, and knows the answers to maths and geography questions.

Now the family is healing and is back again in a third adventure with this extraordinary dog who has just declared that he want to be a firedog, following a visit to Lily’s school by Chief Firefighter Do and his son Weirdo. But, like many little ones fascinated by the noise and speed and sirens of fire engines, and the wonder of where they are off to, when fire threatens to burn down a local building, Lily and JJ realise there’s more to firefighting than just driving a big red truck. Will JJ and his latest invention save the day?

Sadly, for too many of our children the sights and sounds of the fire trucks have already been heard this summer as bushfire season shows its hand early, so this is a timely release to focus their thoughts on being prepared and knowing what to do if they are in danger, because unlike JJ, they probably won’t have a mini-copter at the ready. 

With its intriguing hologram covers, this is a series for young independent readers whose older siblings are reading Anh Do’s other series and they want some of the fun, too.  

Scout and the Rescue Dogs

Aug9
Scout and the Rescue Dogs

Scout and the Rescue Dogs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scout and the Rescue Dogs

Dianne Wolfer

Tony Flowers

Walker Books, 2023

224pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9781760655860

As the school year comes to an end at the Arcadia Boarding School for Young Ladies, Scout has only two plans for the long summer holidays – to enjoy the time with her trucker dad and to persuade him that Arcadia is not the best fit for her and she shouldn’t have to go back there.  She has only been there since her mother died from cancer and having kept that a secret from the other girls, she has found it hard to make friends.  And now her teacher has set  the class a summer project of reaching out to three others to establish stronger friendships… and , of course, two of her three assigned contacts are her greatest tormentors.

But, Dad has one last run to do before they can escape to their farm near Beechworth – a philanthropist has donated a load of dog food to be delivered to animal rescue shelters in anticipation of the increased numbers they experience over Christmas – and soon Scout’s school-based problems fade into perspective as she meets carers and dogs and even makes a new friend through Ms Lawler’s initiative, all the while facing the threat of bushfires sweeping the countryside. 

Set against the backdrop of the unprecedented fire season of 2019-2020 and travelling through south-eastern Australia through country that is so familiar to me – I’ve been to every one of the towns mentioned so many times – this was a story that kept me reading well past my bedtime and into the early hours.  Wolfer has created a character who tells the story of that dreadful time through a child’s eyes – the interminable days of smoke and ash, the concern for the native wildlife, the fear of ember attacks and worse – and while, as an adult who evacuated twice because of the imminent danger, I could cope with the memories, it may open wounds that are just beginning to have scar tissue for some readers. But, at the same time, it is a story of love,  the importance and power of memories,  friendship, the camaraderie amongst strangers as communities rally together as they do in dire times, and of hope as Scout comes to terms with her situation through her deepening relationship with her dad and her own philanthropic enterprises.  And threaded through it to lighten the mood as the real-life issues are addressed, is the greatest collection of the WORST Dad Jokes ever!!!

Burrumbuttock Hay Run

Burrumbuttock Hay Run

 

Ruby’s Rescue

Jun14
Ruby's Rescue

Ruby’s Rescue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruby’s Rescue

Elizabeth Mary Cummings

Cheryl Hughes

Big Sky, 2023

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

9781922896292

Ruby is really keen to help the animals that have been injured in a recent bushfire, but is finding it tricky because she is confined to a wheelchair because she broke her leg when her horse threw her when it was spooked by the smoke. Pushing a wheelchair over rough ground is hard work and so she has to be satisfied with helping her mother rake leaves so that the house is more fireproof before the next fire season.  She is even more determined when she finds a possum with burned paws, and that night she gets inspiration from an unusual source…

This is a timely release as we are urged by state bushfire authorities to prepare our homes during these cooler months in preparation for the summer fire season, and in fact, it contains a checklist from the NSW Rural Fire Service to encourage families to take action.  But it also a story that demonstrates to young readers that they are not powerless and that there are things they can do to help not only in preparing their home but in caring for the wildlife that will be inevitably impacted and injured as well. 

While stories like this and The Fire Wombat bring the heart-breaking impact of fire to our attention, others like Alight: A Story of Fire and  Nature  show that it is an integral part of the life cycle of the bush and thus, even our young readers, need to be aware and ready.  

The Lazy Lizard

Jan8
The Lazy Lizard

The Lazy Lizard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lazy Lizard

Tamara Floriani

Paula Formosa

Little Steps, 2022

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.95

9781922833976

One summer’s day in the bush, a lazy lizard finds himself caught in the path of a bushfire! He knows he has to run but is he faster than the flames?

As summer slowly takes hold across the country, the memories of the devastating bushfires of 2019-2020 are rekindled as people watch both sky and weather forecast anxiously. Many will drive through the devastated areas that are slowly recovering and their thoughts will turn to the wildlife that was lost during that time daring to imagine that it will once return to what it was.  This story, written in rhyme, reminds us that the impact on those that live in the bush was as destructive as it was for the humans, and for a much longer time as they wait for their habitat to restore itself, if it ever will.

During that time there were reports of animals seeking shelter in wombat burrows, normal “relationships” forgotten as they huddled together to survive, and this is another story that is based on that.  Young readers will become aware of just how careful they have to be in the bush and surrounds because who knows what might be living just where they are going to put their foot or break that branch as they begin to understand that there are more creatures there than the iconic ones they know and can see. 

Rainbow the Koala

Apr9
Rainbow the Koala

Rainbow the Koala

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rainbow the Koala

Remy Lai

A&U Children’s, 2022

112pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781761065453

It is time for Rainbow the Koala to become more independent and so, after a year of being nurtured and comforted and provided for, he has to say goodbye to his mother and venture off on his own- find a new tree, seek his own food and generally be the adult he was destined to be.  But it’s not easy – for starters,  it’s not just a matter of climbing the nearest tree and calling it his.  It has to be the right species and unoccupied and with the way land is being cleared for humans and the drying landscape making them less nutritious,  there are not so many of the just-rights available.  Waterholes made by humans can be treacherous, dogs are not always the koala’s best friend and the smell of smoke on the air is a signal for alarm…

This is the first in a new graphic novel series called Surviving the Wild designed to make young readers more aware of the environment by viewing it through the lenses of those creatures that live in it.  The new NSW English syllabus, particularly, requires students to be able to “to express opinions about texts and issues… both objectively and subjectively”, so as well as empathising with Rainbow as they, too, face having to step out of their comfort zone to navigate the new world of school; meeting new people who, like Kookaburra, may not be as friendly as they expect, and having to solve problems for themselves, they also learn about the perils of things like habitat destruction, climate change, drought…  Being in the shoes of the main character, in this case a koala which automatically has inbuilt appeal,  helps them be more engaged and understand the situation better, hopefully inspiring them to become not only more aware but more active in environmental protection.  Inspired by the devastating bushfires of the 2019.2020 summer in which it’s estimated over one billion creatures were lost, there are extra pages explaining the origins of Rainbow’s predicament as well as ways that the reader can help by making simple, everyday changes. 

Hallmarks of quality literature include having characters and a plot which are engaging and interesting for the students, offering layers and levels of complexity that are revealed with multiple readings and which enrich discussion and challenge perceptions, thinking and attitudes.  This certainly does that and young readers will look forward to Star the Elephant which is already published and Sunny the Shark due in August. 

 

 

 

Tyenna

Mar24
Tyenna: Through My Eyes - Australian Disaster Zones

Tyenna: Through My Eyes – Australian Disaster Zones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tyenna

Through My Eyes – Australian Disaster Zones

Julie Hunt & Terry Whitebeach

A & U Children’s, 2022

208pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781760877019

They huddle low, nostrils burning from the smoke. A wave of despair flows over Tye. Nothing will survive this firestorm. The bush and everything she loves will be lost.

It’s the summer holidays, and Tye is staying at her grandparents’ lodge at Chancy’s Point in Tasmania’s beautiful Central Highlands. But her plans for fun with best friend Lily and working on her pencil pine conservation project are thwarted as fire threatens the community and the bush she loves – and when Tye discovers Bailey, a runaway boy hiding out, she is torn between secretly helping him and her loyalty to her grandparents.

As the fire comes closer and evacuation warnings abound, Tye is caught up in the battle of her life. Will she and Bailey survive? What will happen to her beloved pencil pines and the wildlife at risk? Can she and her close-knit community make a difference in a world threatened by climate change?

This is the latest in this series that offers fictionalised accounts of world events that help our older, independent readers not only understand what happened but allows them to process it.  By giving each story a central character such as Lyla who endured the devastating Christchurch earthquake in 2011, the story becomes one of courage, resilience and hope rather than an historical recount with meaningless facts and figures. It offers the ‘colour and detail’ to the stark monochrome sketches of news reports, websites and other information-only sources.  

Like its predecessors, Tyenna is a well-written, well-researched blend of imagination and information that above all, tells a story of one girl’s experience -sadly one similar to that of  so many of our students who faced that dreadful Black Summer of 2019-2020 when the whole of the east coast of the country seem to be alight – and shows that it is OK to have been scared and fearful, but that natural human resilience can prevail. The first to focus on an Australian disaster (it will be joined by Mia later this year), it will resonate with many in one way or another and thus, if you have a system that places trigger warnings in your books, this may be one to consider.  

While we would all like to protect our kids from the disasters of modern times, natural or otherwise, that can be an impossible task as the world now comes to them in the palm of their hands, but stories like this can offer insight, understanding and a feeling that they too, have come through the other side – often shaped by it but also more resilient and courageous because of it. 

 

 

One Potoroo

Aug5
One Potoroo

One Potoroo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Potoroo

Penny Jaye

Alicia Rogerson

CSIRO Publishing, 2021

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

9781486314645

Two Peoples Bay on the southern coast of Western Australia, just east of Albany, and fire is bearing down fast on the last-known natural population of Ngilkat, or Gilbert’s Potoroo.

After the flames have passed leaving only ash and bones behind,  gentle hands find a tiny, burned potoroo huddling under a slab of granite; hands that are checking, caring, soothing and which pop him into a warm sack where he will be safe and secure on the journey to a new place.  A place that doesn’t smell like home but which doesn’t smell like smoke and ash either, but where he will be cared for until he can be found a new home.  A home that has granite boulders – but no pythons; a home that has melaleuca thickets – but no foxes.  A home that has deep leaf litter and truffles – but no cats.  Because this little chap is one of just a handful of his kind left on the planet, a species that was known to the Noongar people for tens of thousands of years, but was thought extinct because of the impact of introduced animals, and which had been rediscovered just 20 years earlier.

And so when his wounds have healed he finds himself once again in the sack and on the truck, this time heading to a new home in the Waychinicup National Park where there is food and protection from the predators.  And where there are others of his kind who offer the promise of life…

While we  have heard much of the plight of the koala following Black Summer, and Jackie French told us of the wombats, it is hard to grasp the extent of the destruction of all wildlife and their habitats until stories like this are put before us. Beautifully illustrated and narrated in a matter-of-fact way but with carefully chosen vocab that make the text as gentle as its subject, there is a desire to learn more about this tiny little creature, even form a cheer squad for its survival.  There is more information at the back of the book to whet the appetite but this is a story to tell and a book to promote to any child or teacher planning to investigate Australia’s endangered species, because it is our rarest mammal and the world’s most endangered marsupial. Extensive, teachers’ notes  covering science, sustainability and English are available and include suggestions for titles for related books such as Hold On! Saving the Spotted Handfish.

It is part of the unique story of our country, and the  courage and resilience of its inhabitants.

 

 

 

Combat Wombat to the Rescue

Nov8
Combat Wombat to the Rescue

Combat Wombat to the Rescue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combat Wombat to the Rescue

Gina Newton

Tiffanee Daley

Ford Street, 2020

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.95

9781925804577

Combat Wombat, Wildlife Warrior of the Bush is fast asleep when he is woken by the other creatures, wanting to play. But there is no time to play because Combat Wombat’s super-sensitive nose, ears and paws have picked up some unmistakable signals – there is a bushfire on its way.  Quickly organising  his friends to be in charge of certain elements of safety, Combat Wombat leads them to Billabong Island where they will be safe.  Even though there are significant obstacles on the way he uses his special talents to overcome these until he gets to the river’s edge.  All the others can get across the water, but wombats are not built for leaping, flying or swimming.  Can he trust Bingo Dingo to get him there safely?

This is a story for younger readers that puts the plight of wildlife during a bushfire firmly in focus, particularly relevant given the events of last summer.  By using their special talents and working together, the creatures keep themselves safe, a lesson that goes beyond this particular situation. Much of the story is told in the artwork which is unique and Tiffanee Daley has shared her technique in this video.

Teachers’ notes offer a variety of ideas about how to use this book in the classroom with little ones but I believe they will enjoy it just for its own sake. I did.