Just So Stories

CSIRO Publishing

 September 2024 | $ 24.99
ISBN: 9781486317264 

Taking its cue from the 2007 Notable picture book Purinina, a Devil’s Tale, this new devilish tale from Christina Booth follows Purinina’s life from her birth through the death of her mother to her producing her own offspring.

It is written in simple yet very evocative terms to which young readers will easily relate, and the wonderful illustrations provide so much extra depth to this narrative non-fiction, woven as it is with threads of factual information about these fascinating native animals.

I would hope we are all aware of the issues faced by the devils and the urgency of the research and support to help ensure their survival and this book, along with its back matter, provides much extra and important information on this aspect along with a handy glossary.

When The Kid and I had our highly enjoyable trip to Tassie a few years back, visiting the Tassie Devils was high on my must-do list, as I’d not seen any on my previous visits, and to sit as observers watching these animals tackling their evening meal, scrapping and playing together was quite extraordinary.

if you are doing a unit of inquiry around Australian animals or endangered species, I would suggest that this is a definite but even without that teaching aspect, this will be a book which your readers will thoroughly enjoy and could easily give rise to some engaging research, literacy or art activities focused simply on these critters.

No Tassie devil emoji so it’s just a plain devil I’m afraid but there are 5 😈😈😈😈😈 of them for this lovely excursion down to the very bottom of the country. There are also some teaching notes which may be useful for you.