Walker Books

April 2024

ISBN13:9781760653750

Australia RRP:$26.99

New Zealand RRP:$28.99

If you haven’t been to the Daintree and FNQ, I’m suggesting right now that you put it on your bucketlist. I have been there three times, the first as a little kid of about 6 after a long train trip from Sydney to Cairns – a few days exploring Cairns and surrounds and then a lovely week or so on Green Island (before it went all flash and foreign-owned).

The most recent visit was to take The Kid there about a month after we lost her mum, for a long weekend and specifically to see the butterflies because we had talked a lot about butterflies being ‘messengers’. It was a special trip, and it’s a special place – one you’ll never forget.

This stunning picture book will both fascinate and inspire your readers. The narrative non-fiction text that follows the growth of a 200 year old Queensland kauri combined with an observer’s eye on the wildlife and daily doings in the rainforest is truly exceptional. Each page is also value-added with an informational paragraph relevant to the spread. And what can be said about the addition of the absolutely glorious illustrations? Stupendous!!!

Your Smalls will delight in poring over the details in each, vicariously exploring this vibrant and truly unique setting. Perhaps not many of them will ever get to visit this exquisite part of our beautiful country, but we can certainly give them the pleasure of knowing what it would look like and feel like – and the awe-inspiring nature of its ancientness and impressiveness.

The teaching notes will help you shape a fully engaging unit of work which will mesh beautifully with your HASS and Science curriculum. Both author, Pamela Freeman, and illustrator, Liz Anelli, are to be congratulated on this gorgeous collaboration. You will all remember the superb Dry to Dry: the seasons of Kakadu, now you can turn your explorer’s heart to another stunning location. Highly recommended with a big 5 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋 rating! Enjoy your trip!