Published worldwide in July 2009 by Hinkler Books and going to reprint in December 2009.
It should be available from bookstores, will be found in some chain-stores and can be purchased on Amazon.
I co-wrote it with George Ivanoff and Sofija Stefanovic
Everybody has to grow up one day. But before you do, make sure you have a whole lot of fun! Whether you’re young or just young at heart, you’ll find something to fire your imagination. Discover a world of new and not-so-new things to learn and do. With all sorts of practical and interesting activities ranging from making a scooter and learning to juggle to building an electromagnet and extracting DNA in your own kitchen, there’s never an excuse to be bored!
...and not quite so new...
What is this invention all the other animals are talking about? Koala decides to find out ... but will he ever be the same again? What a surspise! What a laugh!
A picture story-book for children aged 2-8.
Story by Peter Taylor Illustrated by Gail Breese Published by Trafford
... And what a great job Gail has done!
Here are some pages from it ...
I hope you'll enjoy the YouTube video of me reading the story...
...and that you'll buy the book. As you can see, the characters are Australian animals and birds - particularly Kangaroo, Koala, Kookaburra, Dingo and Owl - and others are illustrated: Goanna, Galah, Northern Blossom-Bat, and Pigmy-Possum.
Being a humourous story, there are some things that everyone will know are not true ...like, kangaroos don't live in their own houses with a door-bell. However, although some of the animals have been given smiley or grumpy expressions, Gail Breese's pictures are quite accurate illustrations, even if not always perfectly drawn to scale.
So, to enable you to tell fact from fiction, here is some true information about the Australian wildlife shown in the book. (I hope everyone will find the facts interesting, but they will also be useful to teachers if the book is read in schools.)