Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: kangaroo

  • Noni the Pony Rescues a Joey

    Noni the Pony Rescues a Joey

    This is the third book about Noni the Pony by Alison Lester. It is as delightful and entertaining as the previous two books and will be greatly sought after by young readers. Alison keeps her stories simple to complement the age group written for, and it is enjoyable, with a little bit of adventure. She has retained the Australian flavour of this picture book and does this by including Australian animals and language.

    The story is simple. Noni is running by the beach with her friends, Coco and Dave. She comes across a sad baby wallaby who has lost his mob. The pony offers to help him find his family, and together they backtrack, asking other animals along the way. The Koala is too sleepy to be much help, while Wombat and Platypus had been playing elsewhere and had not noticed anything. The Emu is too busy minding his chicks, and the Echidna is sleeping.  Eventually, the wallaby family are found. They have been out hunting for the missing baby.

    This story retains and reflects the love of the sea, and the horses that the author grew up with. The gentle, kindly characters introduce the location and actions of Australian animals with art work that embellishes the story wonderfully, adding well to the text, with the muted colours reflecting the Australian bush accurately.  The language used is rhyming but lyrical as well, and the pathos is embedded  with Joey saying, “  I was chasing a gum-leaf the north wind had tossed, and when I stopped hopping, I found myself lost.”

    Everything in this book is complementary and pleasing. The text size is good, the variety of animals shown maintains interest, and the gentle nature of the story is soothing and friendly. Long live Noni!

     

     

  • The Flying Kangaroo Great Untold Stories of Qantas…The Heroic, the Hilarious and the Sometimes Just Plain Strange

    The Flying Kangaroo Great Untold Stories of Qantas…The Heroic, the Hilarious and the Sometimes Just Plain Strange

    Jim was a former Qantas communications director, and has written and researched this book from an insider’s point of view, and with a great deal of knowledge and understanding. The stories vary greatly, from the history of the airline today, to its daily running, and insights into ways Qantas has become such an Australian icon. Included in this recount are photographs taken at various times. In one, sheep are being loaded in a plane, and another is shown flying over New Guinea.

    To begin with, this air operation was founded by Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness. The Australian public were drawn to this venture and developed a sense of pride and loyalty. The workers and maintenance staff were encouraged to develop this attitude, and the saying, “We’re off to polish the engines,” became their catch phrase. When a plane crashed in America, engineers were asked to check the same model in Australia, as no one knew the cause of the accident. They removed panels and found all the equipment in order, but kept checking further and eventually found the fault. A world first.

    Many stories are told of flying adventures and near mishaps, especially over the mountainous area of New Guinea. The enormous role that Qantas played in evacuating people after cyclone Tracy, in Darwin is heart- warming. At the Anzac march in Sydney in 2002, a group of veterans marched behind a flag titled “Skippy Squadron.” The airline had a long history of war time activity.

    Rather chillingly, the author documents all the known crashes and deaths on the  Qantas airlines. But compared to any other company, it’s safety record is excellent. He goes on to describe split second decision making by the pilot, and highly efficient reactions by the crew to an incident in Mauritius. The plane overran the landing strip, crashed into an embankment, and caught fire. It was carrying a large amount of fuel, and the crew thought it would explode at any moment. With no safety slides, people had to jump down to the embankment. All passengers survived, although sixteen had minor injuries. Many heroic acts were witnessed that day.

    Jim details the business side of the company, with its sales to, and by the Australian Government. This is a thorough and comprehensive look at an Australian icon, told with great pride and accuracy.

     

     

  • Paddy O’Melon

    Paddy O’Melon

    A little joey kangaroo was having a very exciting day as it was the first time he was considered big enough to be able to hop out of his mother pouch. His legs wobbled as he took his first steps watched proudly by his mother. But the peace of the day was shattered when two very large black dogs came crashing into the clearing where the little joey and his mother were standing.

    The O’Melon family were having a picnic in the rainforest when they came across a tiny, abandoned little joey kangaroo fast asleep under a tree, and although they looked high and low for its mother, they could not find her. Being a lovely, kind family they decided to take the little joey home, so wrapped him up very carefully in a warm jumper.

    As he was so tiny he had to be fed from a very small bottle of special milk and soon began to grow up into a strong little joey, who was allowed to hop about the gardens and the yard of the O’Melon’s house. He loved his new family and they loved him. His name was of course, Paddy! Paddy O’Melon, the Irish Kangaroo,

    As he got bigger he became friends with some of the other rescue animals living at the O’Melon’s, but it was not until they began to ask him what kind of animal he was and when he answered “I’m Paddy O’Melon, the Irish Kangaroo,” and they laughed: he wondered why!

    This is a lively story of discovering who you are, about being brave and learning to keep on trying until you find the answer. The illustrations by Daryl Dickson are true to life, making the animals that Paddy comes across on his journey, and should you be so fortunate to come across one, very easy to recognise.

    Beautifully crafted and illustrated this story about a young pademelon kangaroo, will have special appeal to young and old readers alike who will be introduced to a range of native wildlife and birds that live in the rainforests of Queensland, as well as discovering the importance of looking after the natural heritage of this world.

    As the book is based in the rainforests of Far North Queensland, an area that is like many others endangered, there are many interesting discussion which can be held based about the birds and animals in the story, as well as the effects on the rainforest development and global warming are bringing about.

    There is something for everyone inside the covers of this interesting book from Julia Cooper, a passionate and highly regarded naturalist, who sadly passed away in 2011 leaving behind her this wonderful legacy for generations to come.

    Royalties from this book are being donated to Far North Queensland Wildlife Rescue to continue the wildlife work she was so very passionate about

  • The Rabbit-Hole Golf Course

    The Rabbit-Hole Golf Course

    When you go hunting for a pet rabbit just about anything can happen when it is in the hunting ground of the ‘rabbit hole golf course’ in the ‘desert of my home’. There is certainly a great deal of fun to be had on the adventure.

    This deliciously funny story has been inspired by Ella Mulvey’s childhood experiences, when she lived in an aboriginal community in the desert of Australia, where they would go ‘looking for a pet rabbit’, with of course, an overnight stop around a campfire.

    We are transported to the back of the big old Ute, as it bumps across the land, jiggling the passengers all about, as they head for the ‘rabbit hole golf course’. Once they get there, there is huge excitement as each of the ‘rabbit holes’ must be investigated to see if there are any rabbits to be found.

     As each of the holes is discovered, a little of the desert lifestyle is presented in the digging sticks going ‘click’ as they bounce along and being chased by a slightly cross kangaroo as they shake and rattle the leaves of the small trees. Under a wattle tree they find a treat of sweet honey ants and have a feast, ending with sticky fingers, but somehow they still cannot find any rabbits!

    After a huge day out they settle for the night about a campfire, with billy tea and damper to enjoy, before falling asleep in their sleeping bags ‘in the desert of my home’, to dream about those very illusive rabbits with the little pink noses and bushy tails, perhaps to be found tomorrow.

    This warm, funny tale  beautifully illustrated by Karen Briggs captures the joy of the occasion on every page,is set to become a firm favourite for bedtime reading and will appeal to a wide range of little people right up to beginning and learner readers. There is an adventure to explore in the Australian bush on every page.

    To be absolutely honest, this big little person thoroughly enjoyed being transported back to a time and place, where fun was where it was to be found, no matter where you called home!