Bear to the Rescue

Bear to the Rescue by Romane Cristescu and Nic Gill, illustrated by Sylvia Morris (CSIRO Publishing) HB RRP $26.99 ISBN: 9781486314904

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

When Bear was a puppy, people thought he was adorable. But when he grew up, he became ‘too much’. He had lots of energy and nothing to do – so he made up his own jobs. His owners called him a ‘bad dog’. Eventually he was taken to a new home, one where he learned to sniff out koalas for researchers. Bear enjoyed this important task, particularly when he had to locate koalas after a bushfire. He helped the koalas and made the people happy, too.

In this educative and engaging picture book aimed at kids aged five to nine, Romane Cristescu and Nic Gill tell the real-life story of a koala-detection dog named Bear. The use of first person allows youngsters to see Bear’s world and work from a unique point of view, ensuring that they are soon cheering for this canine hero. At the back of the book there is more detailed information about Bear, as well as a handful of fascinating facts about dogs and koalas.

 

Sylvia Morris’s bright and delightful illustrations perfectly match the optimistic tone of the text. Her charming characterisation of blue-eyed Bear will appeal to all readers, especially those who adore animal stories. Even the endpapers – which feature a colony of cuddly koalas sleeping in trees – are sure to bring smiles to faces.

 

With its focus on finding your purpose in life, Bear to the Rescue proves the old adage that every dog has its day. Inspiration and information are beautifully blended into a pawsome true tale about conservation that every child needs to read.

The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt

The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt (CSIRO) Kasey Whitelaw & Sylvia Morris PB RRP $26.99 ISBN 9781486318308

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Kasey Whitelaw is a marine biologist, educator and children’s writer who is passionate about connecting children to science and nature.

Sylvia Morris is an illustrator and science enthusiast who loves illustrating picture books because they combine two of her favourite activities: reading and problem solving. She is also the illustrator of the CSIRO books, Bear to the Rescue and The Opal Dinosaur.

It’s time to go on an egg hunt – a shark egg case hunt!  Join citizen scientists around the world and search for some weird and wonderful shark egg cases.

Kasey Whitelaw has created an interactive text that calls the reader to action. Our citizen scientists from around the world have an important mission. The reader is invited to be a citizen scientist too. Come along – you can be an egg case hunter too! Factual text is shared in a way that makes it easy to read and absorb. Shark egg cases are introduced and explained so that a reader knows exactly what it is they are looking for. Then the reader is taken to different places around the world. The weather and coastal features of each location are explored, with each place having its own unique type of shark egg case to discover. Noah, for example, finds a Thornback Skate egg case!

Activities vary depending on the setting—ranging from poking a stick along the shoreline to snorkelling or even paddleboarding over a kelp forest. Whitelaw’s sentences are concise, detailed, and easy to read. The language is straightforward, while some extended vocabulary—such as constellation—thoughtfully woven in. Children are encouraged to share their finds using data from the Shark Trust website, helping to connect the story with real-world citizen science. The engaging backmatter includes fascinating information about sharks and egg case discoveries, along with a helpful glossary. Teacher notes are also provided to support learning in the classroom.

Sylvia Morris has a clear and easy to follow type of illustrative style. This is important with a non-fiction book. She showcases real-life but simplifies it for children with clean line work and some texture to show the environmental and habitual context. Her colour palette is lifelike and slightly muted, and the layout is balanced and pleasing to the eye. It beautifully supports the text. The blue cover is eye-catching with shades of blue like waves, four children and, if you look closely enough, some hidden shark egg cases. The endpapers are a lovely lead into the story in soft pastels and feature a shark in the corner at the start and swimming away in the back endpapers. I particularly love the depiction of the reef in South Africa and all the bright sea urchins, sea stars, and soft coral.

The Great Shark Egg Case Hunt is a gorgeous non-fiction picture book that celebrates shark egg cases, their importance, and the sharing of scientific information. This book would make a great gift for any child who has an interest in nature and the environment. It is refreshing to see a non-fiction book that is highly engaging, topical and beautiful. Reading levels do vary from child to child but this book is recommended for ages 5 to 9 years.  This book has appeal to children, families, teachers and librarians. It is sure to capture little hearts, and big ones too. To get more out of this book, use the free teacher notes aligned to the Australian curriculum on the CSIRO webpage.