Sensational
Australian Animals by Stephanie Owen Reeder, illustrated by Cher Hart (CSIRO
Publishing) HB RRP $29.99 ISBN 9781486316892
Reviewed by Dianne
Bates
Once again author and
researcher Owen Reed has produced an outstanding non-fiction book which is a
joy: it will reward a young reader aged 9+ years with many hours of reading
about the fascinating world of native Australian animals.
The
book begins with an introduction to how people use their senses to associate
with Australia, such as the smell of koala pee raining down from a eucalyptus
tree, the sounds of thousands of cicadas shrieking on a summer afternoon, or
the feeling of a mosquito piercing one’s skin and sucking up blood. It is then
divided into chapters – The eyes have it! Did you hear that? Follow your nose!
That’s tasty! And What a Feeling!
Each
chapter examines different Australian animals. In the section titled ‘Magnificent
Marsupials’ for instance, there is an examination of various animals such as
numbats, southern marsupial moles, quokkas, honey possums and wallabies, and
how they use their sight to navigate their worlds. We learn, for example, that
quokkas, also known as short-tailed wallabies, have full-colour vision that allows
them to locate the leaves, bark and grass they eat. Honey possums, on the other
hand, have large eyes positioned on the front of their faces so they can look
both forwards and upwards.
This
is a book that has so many fascinating facts, all fully researched, and
presented in clear, detailed descriptions. There’s even a section titled ‘Tasty
treats’ with a break-out page ‘Today’s Menu’ which lists edible foods such as
common yabbies (freshwater crayfish), witchetty grubs, bogong moths, honeypot
ants, green tree ants, and purple sea urchin with a description of what each of
them tastes like.
The full-colour
140 illustrations here are like the text – eye-catching, and well-worth hours
of investigating. There is a four-page glossary, and an animal index at the end
of the book. Be intrigued, amazed, and astonished by what insects, birds, spiders,
fish, and many other animals are capable of!
Dr
Owen Reeder has won the NSW Premier’s History Award and the CBCA Book of the
Year Award for information books. This is nature illustrator and graphic
designer Hart’s first book. Hart has created scientific communication material
for journals, exhibitions, and government.
This
book is highly recommended.
