Rusty, the Rainbow Bird

Rusty, the Rainbow Bird by Aleesah Darlison, illustrated by Mel Matthews (Puffin Books) HB RRP $19.95 ISBN: 9781760899240

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is the third book in the Endangered Animal Tales’ series published recently. The rainbow bird of the title is the Gouldian finch, found across the top of Australia, from the Kimberley in Western Australia to Far North Queensland. Facts about the bird are scattered through the pages and on the final page. There are fewer than 2,500 highly coloured adults – weighing less than a 50-cent coin -- living in the wild.

In Rusty, the Rainbow Bird, Darlison fictionalises the story of Rusty which meets Olive. ‘He bobs and whirls, puffs and fluffs’ as he courts in an energetic dance for his soon-to-be partner for life. The lovebirds build a cosy nest inside a hollowed tree where Olive lays ‘six perfect eggs.’ Both birds take turns keeping them warm. Baby finches hatch naked and blind with colourful patterns on their mouths so their parents can see them in the dark nest and feed them seeds and insects.

Unfortunately, danger descends in the shape of a bushfire, deadlier than any predator and largely responsible for making the finches endangered. A double page spread in brilliant oranges, yellows and purples shows Rusty confronted by the raging fire. All pages in this picture book are filled with bright pictures that are captivating, and, in the case of the fire, alarming.  

Complementing the illustrations is the written text which is filled with strong, sometimes poetic images and words that read well aloud. Mostly the text about Rusty and his family is on the left-hand side of the double spreads, with short facts (such as ‘juvenile finches don’t get their colourful adult plumage until they’re a year old) on the right.

Child readers, aged 8 to 12 years are sure to be captivated by this well-written, strongly illustrated book, and, too, they will learn about an Australian bird which doesn’t usually get much publicity, but which ought to.

Poppy, the Punk Turtle

Poppy, the Punk Turtle: Endangered Animal Tales 2 by Aleesah Darlison, illustrated by Mel Matthews (Puffin Books) HB RRP $19.99 ISBN 9781760899233

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

From the series on Endangered Animal Tales, about some of Australia's cutest and most vulnerable wildlife, comes this third book about a Mary River turtle which is only found in Queensland.

Darlison has garnered some very interesting facts about the turtle: it breathes through its bottom, it can stay underwater for three days before it needs to breathe through its mouth, it can only eat when submerged in water.

Why a ‘punk’ turtle? In the final double spread, we not only see a map of the animal’s habitat, but we learn they are often called ‘punk turtles’ because of their algae mohawks and the spikes under their chins. We also learn that it takes 15 years for a Mary River turtle to become an adult. There’s also a diagram of the turtle showing its special physiological features.

 

After the book begins with the turtles living on a stretch of the river ‘for millions of years’, we see that the turtles are omnivores and egg-laying. Poppy, the punk turtle, is seeking food: a dam has stopped the flow of fresh water. She desperately needs water and is soon lucky to discover a freshwater stream into which she dives.

 

This is a simple story with some very interesting facts about this eccentric Australian endangered animal. It would have added to the interest if a photograph of the turtle was included. As it is, the book is illustrated with bright colours, with Poppy looking very much like a punk.

 

This book is sure to be of interest to any young ecologist aged 5+ years.

Coco, the Fish with Hands

Coco, the Fish with Hands by Aleesah Darlison, illustrated by Mel Matthews (Puffin Books) HB RRP $19.99 ISBN 978176089926

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is the first story in the multi-book Endangered Animal Tales series, which highlights some of Australia’s cutest and most vulnerable wildlife. At first glance, the title sounds silly, but who was to know that Australia actually has a spotted Handfish swimming in its waters, (exclusively) in the Derwent River estuary near Hobart, Tasmania?

The fish, which don’t grow any larger than 12 cm long, have a unique pattern of spots that help them hide against the riverbed. They are critically endangered, with fewer than 3,000 fish living in the wild. The ‘hands’ of the spotted handfish are actually overgrown fins which they use to walk as the fish lives in silt and sand on the estuary floor.

Darlison’s book is presented with both fiction (about a spotted handfish, Coco) and facts on each double page. Coco is in search of a mate and then somewhere to lay her eggs. (Handfish only lay eggs from September to October). She needs to avoid predators such as an anglerfish, a Northern Pacific seastar, and a crab. Finally, she finds a male who, spying her, performs an elegant mating dance. When Coco lays her eggs (80 to 250 each year), the white dots sprout and grow. Both parents protect their eggs until they hatch (six millimetres long, they are called fry). Then they are off on their own.

The illustrations show the handfish and other sea creatures in large cartoon-style against a mostly green river background. Coco’s story is told in a different font to that of the facts.

The Australian author, Aleesah Darlison, has written other picture books in the Endangered Animal Tales series, including Little Meerkat, Warambi, and The Story of the Last Wild Thylacine. Her books alert young readers (and older) about the dangers that wild creatures face in nature.