In the crinkled shadows night-dwellers yawn, day-creatures stretch and Kookaburra laughs.
Kookaburra is another wonderful book published by Walker Books as part of their Nature Storybooks series.
Kookaburras are featured in many Australian backyards and parklands yet how much do you really know about them? As all nature storybooks do, this book sings and tells us facts about animals in a lyrical and factual manner, perfect for those who love reading and learning.
This particular nature storybook really sang to me through the descriptive yet easy to understand language, onomatopoeia and simple facts embedded throughout each page.
The verbs used to describe how the Kookaburra watches patiently, eats food and even keeps its territory allow the young reader to fully understand how Kookaburras live throughout the seasons of the year.
Tannya Harricks’ illustrations are divine. The oil painting nature of the pictures give texture to the Kookaburra, its feathers and its hollow home. They tell just as much of the story as the words do and give more insight into how the Kookaburra moves in its habitat.
With a glossary at the back for readers who are learning about research this book is a great tool for classroom teachers to introduce younger readers to the art of research away from ‘googling’. They can see that facts can be written as facts but they can also be written through story – a great mix to engage and inform.
Kookaburra by Claire Saxby and Tannya Harricks’ is a great addition to the Walker Books Nature Storybooks series and a wonderful story to read out loud and pour over the pictures
