ANIMALS

Preschool | Ages 5 to 8 | Ages 8 to 11 | Ages 11+

Preschool

One hungry spider
Baker, Jeannie (Scholastic Australia, 2006, 28pp.)
This counting book also teaches a few things about how an orb web spider lives. Illustrations are carefully constructed collages.
(ANIMALS)

Silly galah
Brian, Janeen; illustrated by Cheryll Johns (Scholastic Australia/Omnibus, 2001, 32pp.)
Light-hearted verses and bold bright illustrations by Cheryll Johns introduce children to seventeen Australian animals (eight mammals, six birds, two reptiles and one frog). A secondary text around the edge of the page provides a bit more information in more serious fashion.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Sebastian lives in a hat
Catterwell, Thelma; illustrated by Kerry Argent (Scholastic Australia/Omnibus, 1991, 32pp.)
The mother of Sebastian, a wombat, was killed by a car when he was about four months old and still in her pouch. He was hand-reared by the author who describes in this picture book his development and needs until he was able to return to the wild. Delightful, realistic full colour illustrations by Kerry Argent complement the text. Reissued in paperback by Scholastic in 2004.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Diary of a wombat
French, Jackie; illustrated by Bruce Whatley (Harper Collins, 2002, 32pp.)
A wombat’s daily activities and interactions with the people who live near her burrow are recorded in diary form as though by the wombat, with items like ‘slept a bit’, ‘asked for carrots’. The brief text indirectly reveals a lot about wombat character and about the tolerance needed to live with an animal whose requirements do not quite coincide with those of the people. Bruce Whatley’s illustrations bring the wombat to life.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Growing frogs
French, Vivian; illustrated by Alison Bartlett (Read and Wonder, Walker Books, 2000, 30pp.)
The story of a little girl and her mother who take some frogspawn and watch it develop into frogs is combined with scientific facts about frog biology and sound advice on how to look after tadpoles and frogs. An unusual typeface, a naïve style of art and a simple index add to the child-centred text, resulting in a charming information book for young children. Reissued with an accompanying CD in 2008.
(ANIMALS)

365 penguins
Fromental, Jean-Luc and Joëlle Jolivet (Abrams books for Young Readers, 2006, unpaged)
This large format, four-colour picture book tells the amusing story of a family which receives by courier a penguin a day for a year. However apart from the humorous storyline, the young reader is introduced to basic mathematical operations. When the numbers of penguins are added, they are arranged in groups (“12 boxes of 12 penguins = ??”) and their food requirements are calculated. By the end of the book, readers have discovered who is clandestinely sending the birds, why and some basic facts about penguins. However the strength of the book is in its plot and mathematical concepts.
(MATHEMATICS; ANIMALS)

Two's company...
Greenway, Shirley (Charlesbridge, 1997, 32pp.)
This beautiful picture book illustrated with superb photographs from the team at Oxford Scientific Films is a simple introduction to animal behaviour through the names of different groups of animals. Each left-hand page shows a small photograph of a single animal and a photograph of two of the animals; the right-hand page shows a large picture of a whole group with the correct name (flock, shoal, swarm, herd, etc.) A simple introductory page and a corresponding conclusion tie up the concept neatly but a final two pages of further information about each animal adds an extra dimension.
(ANIMALS)

Walk with a wolf
Howker, Janni; illustrated by Sarah Fox-Davies (Read and Wonder, Walker Books, 2001, 32pp.)
Originally published in hardback in 1997 and reprinted in paperback in 2001, Walk with a wolf is a superbly produced information book for young children. The lyrical, poetic text is written by an award-winning British author and the beautiful realistic illustrations are by an artist experienced in creating animal books for children. As with other titles in the Read and Wonder series, additional facts about wolves are curved beside the evocative artwork to augment the information imparted in the narrative. Due to be reissued with an accompanying CD at the end of 2008.
(ANIMALS)

Mrs Millar's frogs
Millar, Annette; illustrated by Kerry Anne Jordinson (Paperbark, 1998, 24pp.)
This delightfully simple story, told in rhyming verse in the first person, tells about Mrs Millar who lives in Broome and has frogs in every room. A snake comes in after the frogs so she banishes them to the pond outside. She misses them so much she allows them back inside. Both verse and illustrations (by Kerry Anne Jordinson) are fun and full of life.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

The Hunt
Oliver, Narelle (Lothian, 1995, 32pp.)
A tawny frogmouth chases a series of animals for food but, before it can catch them, they disappear by settling on a background where their camouflage is most effective or by disguising themselves as a twig. Then the tawny frogmouth itself has to disguise itself as a branch to avoid a powerful owl. Keys at the back of the book indicate where and what all the hidden species are (there are many more than those the tawny frogmouth sees).
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged creatures concealed…and revealed
Schwartz, David M. and Yael Schy (text), Dwight Kuhn (photos) (Tricycle Press, 2007, unpaged)
This flap book demonstrates the concept of camouflage to children in a stunning and very effective format. Each page opening has a heading and poem on the left-hand side and a full-size colour photograph on the right. Somewhere in the photograph is a well-camouflaged animal. To find out what the creature is and where it is hidden, the flap is lifted to reveal the same photograph greyed out except for the animal. A full page of information about it is then contained on the reverse side of the flap. With an emphasis on North American animals, those featured include mammals, amphibians, insects, reptiles and birds’ eggs. With the additional information included, this book is also suitable for the 5 - 8 age group.
(ANIMALS)

Ages 5 to 8

Bat loves the night
Davies, Nicola; illustrated by Sarah Fox Davies (Read and Wonder, Walker, 2001, 28pp.)
A simple narrative follows one night’s activities of a pipistrelle bat, as it flies out between broken tiles, under trees and over bushes catching insects, and then returns to its roost and its baby. A secondary text in distinct font provides additional information on echolocation, food and roosting sites. Delicate illustrations by Sarah Fox Davies use a cream background for the day and pale blue for night. Reissued with an accompanying CD in 2008.
(ANIMALS)

Big blue whale
Davies, Nicola; illustrated by Nick Maland (Read and Wonder, Walker, 1997, 32pp.)
This picture book about blue whales has been thoughtfully and unusually designed. Variations in the size of the lettering and snippets of information which follow the lines of the illustrations create visual interest and add emphasis. The text is well-written by a qualified zoologist and the illustrator, Nick Maland, has used cross-hatching effectively to create texture and movement. Reissued with an accompanying CD in 2008.
(ANIMALS)

I like monkeys because
Hansard, Peter; illustrated by Patricia Casey (Read and Wonder, Walker Books, 1993, 28pp.)
Introduces the variety of monkeys in lively language, in recognition that young children learn through all their senses, and puts into words the types of monkey behaviour children can see at the zoo. Illustrations (by Patricia Casey) in soft watercolour and line are equally lively. The different monkey types are labelled.
(ANIMALS)

The emperor's egg
Jenkins, Martin; illustrated by Jane Chapman (Read and Wonder, Walker, 2000, 31pp.)
Using storytelling techniques Jenkins introduces young children to the wonder of how the male emperor penguin incubates his mate's egg through the Antarctic winter while the mate is away feeding, and how the female returns to feed the chick while the male goes off to sea. A secondary text in italics, in lines that flow through the illustrations, adds other items of information. The illustrations by Jane Chapman have plenty of life and form part of an excellent colour design. Due to be reissued with an accompanying CD at the end of 2008.
(ANIMALS)

The beaver family book
Kalas, Sybille and Klaus (North South Books, 1999, 48pp.)
This refreshingly alive and personal story tells how three baby beavers were taken from northern Sweden to Beaverbrook in Austria to be re-established there and studied. The book gives a few insights into the pleasures and difficulties of studying wild animals, and many insights into how beavers live. The coloured photographs are varied, interesting and well arranged. There are several brilliant touches of design, one being the pattern of the beaver's tail on the endpapers. Translated from German by Patricia Crampton.

The penguin family book and The polar bear family book, also co-written by Sybille Kalas, have a similarly fresh approach in showing the life cycle of a penguins and polar bears.
(ANIMALS)

I love guinea pigs
King-Smith, Dick; illustrated by Anita Jeram (Read and Wonder, Walker Books, 1994, 28pp.)
Written with humour as the personal statement of someone with a life long interest in guinea pigs, the text covers, very briefly, the history of European knowledge of guinea pigs, the varieties available, how to look after them, the sounds they make, and what the newborn are like. The line and wash coloured illustrations by Anita Jeram show particularly good lifelike postures of both guinea pigs and people and their brief notes provide additional information without interrupting the flow of the text.

All pigs are beautiful (1995) is a similar lighthearted and personal account about domestic pigs. (Like the film Babe it is likely to discourage an interest in eating pork.) Reissued with an accompanying CD in 2008.
(ANIMALS)

Yakkin the swamp tortoise: Book 1 – The most dangerous year
Kuchling, Guundie and Gerald (Chelonia Enterprises, 1995, 32pp.)
The swamp tortoise is endangered. It lives in seasonal swamps on clay pans in the Swan River Valley. The biology is described through the realistic story of one young tortoise, from hatching through the seasons of the first year, in an easy to read text. Linocut illustrations have bold lines and bright colours and are complemented by a bold font.

In Book 2 – Survival (Era 1997) Yakkin's fate is followed through three years. She survives bushfire and a cat's interest, but brick pits drain the swamp and she has to leave. Fortunately a family picks her up on a road and she is taken to a special nature reserve. The text reads as well but a lighter font does not go so well with the linocuts. Endnotes provide information without disrupting the story.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

The snake book
Ling, Mary and Mary Atkinson (Dorling Kindersley, 1997, 28pp.)
Each snake featured in this book has been placed in a photographer's white box to be photographed. The effect given when the book is opened is to see a very realistic vivid image of a snake across a white double-page spread. Snakes chosen are both venomous and non-venomous but do not include any Australian examples despite some of the most poisonous snakes in the world originating here. Text is very simple with a few more facts about each species given on the last page. Photography by Frank Greenaway and Dave King.
(ANIMALS)

Polar bear cubs
Matthews, Downs (Hippo Books, Scholastic, 1990)
A well-written and very readable text follows the first two years in the life of a pair of cubs. Illustrated with an excellent choice of photographs by Dan Guravich. Suitable for reading aloud to younger children.
(ANIMALS)

Into the deep
Norman, Dr Mark and David Paul (Black Dog Books, 2010, 32pp.)
This 25.5cm square paperback only uses conventional left-to-right double-page spreads for the first two and last openings. The rest of the book is to be read vertically by rotating the book so that the left-hand page is at the top. Down the side of each spread is a depth chart and placed at the appropriate depths are photos of the fascinating creatures that live in the ocean. As the distance from the surface gets deeper, the background of the pages changes until it is black. Simple captions identify each creature and give brief information about them while the distances at the edge of the page are put into perspective by occasional facts about human activity at certain depths, such as how deep scuba divers can go and how far deep-sea fishing nets reach. The outstanding features of this book are the unusual layout and design and the stunning photographs.
(OUR WORLD; ANIMALS)

Sand swimmers: The secret life of Australia's dead heart
Oliver, Narelle (Lothian, 1999, 32pp.)
Providing aesthetic pleasure and a calm and reflective setting, this is an outstanding book on Australia's desert animals, from insects to mammals. Brown colours predominate and the reader is drawn in to find what is not immediately obvious. It is about the desert's normal state rather than the flowering after rain, and it introduces the human context, contrasting Aboriginal knowledge with Sturt's despair at the lifeless centre. Unfortunately, the use of lino-cuts limits the clarity of the illustrations and some animals carry names no longer current.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Uneversaurus
Potts, Adrian (David Fickling Books, 2006, unpaged)
Although a picture book, some of the vocabulary, concepts and jokes are more suitable for an older readership. Beginning with the obvious statement “No human has ever seen a dinosaur”, the text then asks “So how do we know what they looked like?” The book shows how clues on fossils help scientists put the skeletons of these creatures together and extrapolate from the skeleton to a realistic image of the living creature. But it then launches into a very good discussion of characteristics of animal coverings such as colour, camouflage, shading and texture and how these features may possibly have applied to dinosaur appearance. The illustrations then show imaginative options such as a tiger-striped Tyrannosaurus, a red Stegosaurus and a flock of multi-coloured Pterodactyls. Readers are urged to use their imaginations to guess what these amazing creatures may have looked like and the final endpaper provides a drawing of an Amargasaurus for them to colour in however they like.
(PREHISTORIC TIMES; ANIMALS)

Pobblebonk the frog
Reilly, Pauline (Kangaroo Press, 1996, 32pp.)
Information about frogs is given in a story about a particular frog with human interest supplied by children catching tadpoles. Finishes with four pages of facts about frogs. The concentration on one type of frog avoids the confusion that covering too many varied lifestyles can cause for this age group. The format is unpretentious with soft pencil and wash illustrations by Will Rolland.

This is one in a long series of books by this team about different Australian animals. The series is important because it introduces so much of our wildlife in a simple, accessible format. The slip-up in The Koala of depicting a front opening pouch is quite uncharacteristic of the series.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Once I was a cardboard box… but now I am a book about polar bears
Poitier, Anton (text) Melvyn Evans (Five Mile Press, 2009, 24pp.)
Originally published in the UK by Potter Books, this book and its companion, Once I was a comic… but now I’m a book about tigers, are written by well-known author Tony Potter. The books are produced totally of recycled paper and board and the dual text explains to readers all about polar bears in the main text and how recycling of paper is done on the right-hand side of each double-page spread. The design and layout are excellent with large bold font, photos of polar bears and drawings combining to be clear and engaging. This clever concept works surprisingly well and young readers will be well-informed about both polar bears and recycling.
(OUR WORLD; ANIMALS; TECHNOLOGY)

How do I know it's an ant? A book about animals
Stodart, Eleanor (Envirobook, 2002, 32pp.)
With watercolour illustrations, one paragraph of text and informative captions and labels per page, this book introduces 24 animal types, drawing attention to the features that help us tell one from another. A further 17 are covered briefly on one page. Most examples can be seen in Australia. The introduction draws attention to major features to look for, such as segments, legs and feelers, in terms a young child can understand. The rudiments of classification are introduced through colour-coded headings which indicate whether the animal has an internal skeleton, exoskeleton or no skeleton. Sizes are indicated.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

One less fish
Toft, Kim Michelle and Allan Sheather (University of Queensland Press, 1997, 32pp.)
This cautionary tale is told in rhyme. In a progression from 12 to zero each type of fish in turn loses one of its number due to a different problem in the environment (explained in a subtext in small font). The illustrations have brilliant colours and give the book great aesthetic appeal. The rhyming text is backed up by an introduction, a description of the 12 types of fish, and a glossary.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Aranea: A story about a spider
Wagner, Jenny (Kestrel, 1975, 32pp.)
Tells the story, without any anthropomorphism, of how a garden spider coped with a sudden rainstorm. The attractive black and white illustrations by Ron Brooks are rather stylised.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Ages 8 to 11

Life in a rotten log
Atkinson, Kathie (Little Ark, Allen & Unwin, 1993, 32pp.)
By following the process of decay of a fallen tree till a new seedling tree takes root, this book introduces the various organisms that live in or on a rotting log and shows clearly that decay also means new life. The text and photographs convey the author's enthusiasm for her subject. (ANIMALS; PLANTS. AUSTRALIAN)

An introduction to insects
Bird, Bettina and Joan Short (Bookshelf, Martin Educational, 1988, 48pp.)
The first third of the book decribes the structure of insects and how they breathe and make sounds. The next part describes the life histories of silverfish (no metamorphosis); short-horned grasshopper, dragon fly, cicada (part metamorphosis); and wanderer butterfly and Christmas beetle (full metamorphosis). Then a section describes insect behaviour. There is a pronunciation guide, and an index, but no glossary – words are explained as they are introduced. Colour photographs, line drawings and paintings are all clear and well captioned. Illustrated by Deborah Savin.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

The spotted-tailed quoll
Breidahl, Harry (Investigating Australian Animals, Macmillan, 1994, 24 pp.)
This formal instructive book about quolls is clearly laid out, showing their position among mammals, their distribution (all four quolls are shown), measurement, tracks, diet, reproduction and conservation. Illustrated by Judy Uehlein Nelson.

Other titles in the series, which has several illustrators, The koala, The red kangaroo, The common wombat, The common ringtail possum and The southern brown bandicoot, closely follow the same format so that some parts are repetitive but together they give a good introduction to Australian marsupials.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Spotlight on spiders
Clyne, Densey (Small World Series, Little Ark/Allen & Unwin, 1995, 32pp.)
Brilliant photographs and a relaxed conversational text approach the subject in a way young children will easily relate to.

It's a frog's life (1995) and Flutter by butterfly (1994) also provide good introductions to these animals. However, the first books in the series were less clear as they lacked captions. For the younger end of the 7-12 age range.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Sharks
Coupe, Sheena and Robert (Great Creatures of the World, Golden Press, 1990, 68pp.)
An excellent comprehensive guide to sharks of all kinds, lavishly illustrated with colour photographs, drawings and diagrams. Coverage includes what sharks are, ancient species, types of sharks, habitat, reproduction and shark attacks. Fact boxes contain interesting snippets of information. The glossary and index make it a useful reference tool.

A companion volume, Whales by Leslie Dow, follows a similar format but contains a couple of small errors (one photograph is upside down!).
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Reptiles
Creagh, Carson (and Weldon Owen team) (Allen & Unwin/Macdonald Young Books (Discoveries), 1996, 64pp.)
Using a caption-text layout similar to the Collins Eyewitness Guides but with fewer items per page and with more artwork than photographs, this book provides a good overview of reptile biology. It has one doublepage spread for ancient reptiles, four each for chelonians and crocodilians, one for the tuatara, nine for lizards, seven for snakes, and one for danger to reptiles. Although prepared in Australia it is designed for the international market and so the examples used come from around the world, but good Australian examples are included.

Mammals (1996) has similar format amd forms an excellent overview of the subject.

Dinosaurs (1995) also provides a good overview of the subject, putting them in context well, with sections on before the dinosaurs, the world in Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and uncovering dinosaur clues as well as describing types and behaviour.
(ANIMALS; PREHISTORIC TIMES. AUSTRALIAN)

Wildlife of Australia
Egerton, Louise (text) Jiri Lochman (photos) (Allen & Unwin Jacana Books, 2009, 448pp.)
Whilst not a comprehensive encyclopedia of all of Australia’s animals (that would take volumes!), this book is nevertheless a thorough overview. Following on from a foreword by Professor Michael Archer, a map of the country and an introduction outlining the history of the continent, six sections cover Australian mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, freshwater fishes and invertebrates. The text is written in a conversational tone without being too casual and the photographs are excellent. Emphasis is not on individual animals, as in a field guide, but rather on groups so that, for instance, the reptile section discusses skinks, goannas, blind snakes etc. Despite some minor grammatical errors, this title would be a useful home library reference book. It concludes with sections on further information and scientific names, a glossary and an index.
(ANIMALS)

The secret world of wombats
French, Jackie; illustrated by Bruce Whatley (HarperCollins Australia, 2005, 176pp.)
From the creators of Diary of a wombat comes a more serious and informative book about the biology and behaviour of wombats. Told in an entertaining tone with amusing anecdotes, this book is written by an author who loves wombats dearly and lives with several on her property.

A follow-up title about kangaroos has just been published in 2008 called How high can a kangaroo hop?
(ANIMALS; AUSTRALIAN)

There's an echidna at the bottom of my garden
French, Jackie; illustrated by David Stanley (Tadpoles, Koala Books, 1997, 64pp.)
Two threads run side by side. In a larger serif font and in the first person, the author tells of her encounters with an echidna over the years. The incidents are built into a readable narrative which has a good climax as not one, or two, but three echidnas are seen. In smaller non-serif font, adjacent to each appropriate incident, are a few sentences about echidna biology. The half tone illustrations (by David Stanley) are attractive but have minor problems with spines being too large and feet inaccurate.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Oceans
Green, Jen (3D pop-up explorer, Walker Books, 2008, 30 pp.)
This is not a pop-up book for the very young child. Rather it contains a lot of information about ocean ecology, including different habitats, life forms and food chains. Slightly larger than A4 landscape in size, the widthways arrangement of the pages has been used to great effect in the design, layout and illustrative content. This includes five three-dimensional pop-up pages which show very effectively life in a rock pool, on a tropical coral reef, in a kelp forest, in waters below 200 metres deep and around ‘black smokers’. The book is indexed and all photographs, diagrams and illustrations are captioned, with much of the information in these paragraphs. The only flaw is on p 21 where the text mistakenly claims that 'Great white sharks can grow up to half a metre long' instead of 'up to six metres long'. (The publisher has been advised of this and it should be fixed in the next printing.)
(OUR WORLD; ANIMALS)

Walking with the seasons in Kakadu
Lucas, Dianne; illustrated by Ken Searle (Allen & Unwin, 2003, 32pp.)
In English, but with some terms from the Gundjehmi language, this books takes readers through the six seasons recognised by the Aboriginal people of Kakadu. It shows readers the weather patterns and the characteristic changes in plants and animals which determine the beginning and end of each season. Descriptions of the activities of flowers, fruits and animals are set in boxes against one to three scenes of each season painted by Ken Searle. People playing or collecting food are often included. Animals and flowers are shown well, except for the orb spider being upside down.
(ANIMALS; PLANTS. AUSTRALIAN)

Gorillas
Miller-Schroeder, Patricia (Raintree Steck-Vaughn, Untamed World, 1997, 64pp.)
This introduction to these fascinating creatures contains much more useful information than many of the glossy coffee-table books produced for adults. From the use of a small gorilla silhouette at the top of each page to the use of a variety of layouts according to the nature of the information, this is a well-conceived and well-planned book. While many pages are standard in their layout, others have backgrounds of shades of green or yellow. Arguments for and against conservation are given. Quotes from wildlife biologists and folklore about gorillas all add to a well-rounded coverage of the subject.
(ANIMALS)

Australian frogs: Amazing amphibians
Morris, Jill; illustrated by Lynne Tracey (Greater Glider, 1995, 48pp.)
After a general introduction on frog biology, 17 types of frogs are described. The outstanding features are the gouache paintings setting the frogs in their habitats and depicting other animals (labelled) that live there. Verses forming part of the illustrations are not of high literary quality but may help children remember certain features about the frogs and may make the book accessible to younger children. Illustrated by Lynne Tracey. Similar books are Australian kangaroos: magnificent Macropods (1998), Australian owls, frogmouths and nightjars (1993) and Australian bats (1992) but the latter has a few problems with readability and consistency of the text.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

The wombat who talked to the stars: The journal of a northern hairy-nosed wombat
Morris, Jill; illustrated by Sharon Dye (Greater Glider, 1997, 32pp.)
Told in the first person as though by Male No 25. The first part follows a caption-text approach with items of information grouped under page headings and scattered over the page. Then there are some verses and the story of the capture of Male 104 for a breeding program. The overall effect is of a collection of well-researched but disparate items, but the illustrations by Sharon Dye and colour scheme make the book very attractive.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Insect (Revised ed.)
Mound, Laurence (Eyewitness Guide, Dorling Kindersley, 2003, 64 pp.)
This is a thorough introduction to insects from general features of structure and development, to descriptions of major families, and insect relationships with plants and people. It even has a page showing what are not insects to clear up any confusion. The detail is suitable for older readers but the generous array of photographs would also make it accessible for younger readers. For the older end of the 7-12 age range.
(ANIMALS)

Man-eaters and blood suckers
Murray, Kirsty (Allen & Unwin/Little Ark, 1998, 96pp.)
This title in the well-regarded True Stories series takes as its starting point many children's fascination with gruesome accounts of man-eating animals. The combination of true accounts of attacks with facts about the usual behaviour of the species concerned is recounted in a lively conversational style. The fearsome tiger baring its teeth on the front cover adds to the book's appeal.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Animal architects
Nicholson, John (Allen & Unwin, 2003, 32pp.)
Examples of animal houses or nests are grouped and described, such as the burrows of wombats, badgers, prairie dogs, meerkats, and trapdoor spiders. The mallee fowl is included as a digger with the above, with details about the construction and temperature control of its mound. Other groups are nomads (animals which carry their houses with them, such as turtles, shellfish and hermit crabs), weavers (several birds and spiders), carpenters (woodpecker, beaver, carpenter bee and woodworm), and bricklayers (oven bird, termites, bees and wasps, albatross and mudlark). The text is straightforward, sometimes with quite a bit of detail in captions, and Nicholson's coloured drawings clearly illustrate relevant points.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

The penguin book: Birds in suits
Norman, Dr Mark (Black Dog Books, 2006, 30p.)
Winner of the 2007 Eve Pownall Award for Information Books in the annual Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards, The penguin book is notable for its excellent design by Blue Boat Design. Superb colour photographs of each species of penguin are combined with well-designed page layout and clear diagrams to present an excellent description of this intriguing bird. Dr Mark Norman is a research scientist with Museum Victoria and has followed this book with the companion volumes The Antarctica Book: Living in the freezer (2007) and The Shark Book: Fish with Attitude (2008).
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Skeleton (Revised ed.)
Parker, Steve (Eyewitness Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 2003, 64pp.)
This is a thoroughly and clearly illustrated book on human and other skeletons. It looks at whole skeletons of a human, other mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and exoskeletons, before looking more closely at the parts of each skeleton using the human skeleton as a reference. It is very detailed, with skeletons shown starkly against a white background. Many small topical pictures fill the spaces on each page. The captions in small print contain much information, but a brief text introduces each subject. This is a book to explore slowly, and to use as a reference from primary to early tertiary level.
(ANIMALS; HUMAN BIOLOGY)

Discover and learn about Australian forests and woodlands
Slater, Pat (Ark Australia Habitats and Ecosystems, Steve Parish, 2002, 48pp.)
Brief introductory sections on the voyage of ark Australia, forest ecology, classification, and biodiversity, are followed by more detail on Australia’s forest types (tropical and temperate rainforests, monsoon forests, dry and wet sclerophyll forests). Information is given in short paragraphs, text boxes on specific subjects, coloured photographs (mainly by Steve Parish), captions, and ‘facts ‘n’ figures files’. Other sections cover predators and parasites, fungi, food chains and other interactions, and effects of fire and humans. The resulting presentation is attractive for both browsing and studying.

Discover and learn about Australian wetlands and waterways also covers its subject well, but other books in the series are rather disjointed.
(PLANTS; ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Mammals
Slater, Pat (First Field Guides, Steve Parish, 1997, 56pp.)
Not specifically for children but the small size (books in this series are both pocket-sized and slim) limits the content, making this field guide easy enough for children to tackle. The use of colour and symbols makes the information easy to take in at a glance. Each species described is alloted a page, with distribution map. For the older end of the 7-12 age range.

Other titles in the series are Frogs and reptiles, Fish, Birds, Insects and spiders (identifies by orders or families rather than species), and Marine life.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Birds
Stodart, Eleanor (Australian Junior Field Guide, Octopus, 1989, 72pp.)
Other Australian Junior Field Guides are Butterflies and moths, Biters and stingers, Frogs, The seashore (1989); Reptiles, Beetles (1990); The backyard, creeks and ponds (1991). All introduce the young reader to the subject by describing, and depicting in coloured photographs, a limited number of the more common species. Introductory notes and line drawings show where and how to look. Each book concludes with a number of log pages.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)

Looking at plants
Suzuki, David (Australian adaptation, Little Ark Books/Allen & Unwin, 1989, 96pp.)
Several sections inform about plants, their importance or structure, and are each followed by a few activities which demonstrate plant biology or uses. Instructions are written for children to follow themselves and indicate where help will be needed with boiling water and other potentially dangerous steps. Illustrated with line drawings.

Looking at the body, . . . at the senses, . . . at insects, . . . at the weather, and . . . at the environment provide equally informative and child-oriented texts and suitable activites for the age group.
(PLANTS; ANIMALS; GENERAL SCIENCE)

Ladybird
Watts, Barrie (Keeping Minibeasts, Franklin Watts, 1990, 29pp.)
In this attractively designed, clear, practical guide to keeping ladybirds, colour photographs show the insects in action and handling methods such as how to use a small brush for collecting. The animal and its habits, and techniques for handling, housing (the reader is shown how to make a net cage), feeding and then release are described. Another book in the series, Ants, depicts species not occurring in Australia but the general statements on life cycles and handling are appropriate and make the book a valuable guide.
(ANIMALS)

Emperors of the ice: The emperor penguins of Antarctica
Westerskov, Kim (Omnibus, 1997, 42pp.)
A narrative text divided by headings and accompanied by superb photographs describes the biology of emperor penguins after a general section on Antarctic conditions. The enthusiam of the New Zealand author and photographer shines through.

Seals of the blizzard: The Weddell seals of Antarctica (1997) covers its subject in similar style and format.
(ANIMALS)

Ages 11+

Backyard insects (2nd ed.)
Horne, Paul A. (The Miegunyah Press at Melbourne University Press, 2005, 264pp.)
This comprehensive identification manual to the insects which inhabit Australian backyards is readily accessible to the older child reader. Each left-hand page is black with a photo of the insect while each white right-hand page contains the common name of the insect in bold type, its scientific family name and a few paragraphs of information with its size, dietary habits and genus listed simply in a right-hand margin. Occasionally the text about an insect will spread onto a second page in which case a second photograph is also included, but generally the information is only a few paragraphs in length. Photographs by Denis J. Crawford.
(ANIMALS. AUSTRALIAN)