Just So Stories

August 2024 | $ 24.99
ISBN: 9781486318872
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing

You only need to take one look at this adorable vid clip to know that both you and your kids will fall in love with Dung Beetle. Sometimes I’m a bit spoilt and was about a month ago, meeting Sandra for the first time. I was having a fabulous lunch with her and other lovely bookish friends, and we got a sneak peek at this brand new book baby. We all just oooh-ed and aaah-ed and chuckled,following this indomitable little critter’s exploits as he attempts to create the very best mate-attracting dung ball ever.

But as this little guy finds out, bigger isn’t always better and after a bit of a catastrophe, and his second attempt – ta dah! success and Mama Dung Beetle is smitten.

Stealthily concealed amidst the humour and the completely adorable illustrations is, of course, lots of factual information about fabulous dung beetles and how they help the environment. There is also some terrific information in the back matter, plus a bonus maze in the end papers (LOVE LOVE LOVE!).

It’s a perfect addition to any unit of inquiry, particularly for science; around environment, insects, life cycles, nature and with a hefty dose of humour to sweeten it. But wait there’s more – teaching notes as well! What an all-round winner!

Anyone who is familiar with Sandra’s work knows that she is an extraordinary artist especially with nature subjects (think Meet Mim and Grub), and continues to prove her skill as author as well.

Pre-orders are open now so don’t delay – you don’t want to miss out on this one!! I can’t wait to share it with some Smalls and I’m giving it a [BIGGER IS BETTER SOMETIMES] 5 🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞 rating (sadly, no dung beetle emoji – an oversight surely?).