Just So Stories

CSIRO Publishing

February 2025

ISBN: 9781486317578 

$26.99

To kick off the week of birds [yes intentional!], and so close to Fathers Day, what better choice than our own Queenslander and largest of the cassowary species – the Southern Cassowary, daddy extraordinaire!

You know it’s top shelf when it comes from the CSIRO, and Beverley McWilliams has provided your readers with a fascinating, factual and engaging insight into the role a male cassowary plays in raising chicks.

This narrative non-fiction follows the journey of incubation through to almost fully independent fledglings in the rainforests of the Far North. Children will find out not only more about these fascinating birds, remnants of a previous long ago dinosaur species, but the habitat in a tropical rainforest.

The backmatter offers a double spread of clear information, there is a Glossawary [well played, says this punster!] as well as some excellent info on the cassowary conservation initiative – there’s a good call to action for your kiddos. Julian Teh’s lifelike and detailed illustrations are sensational, completely rounding out this sumptuous book – and gorgeous endpapers!

We have, of course, seen these magnificent birds several times in the various zoos we’ve visited in The Kid’s lifetime and her Animals Era, but have even glimpsed one in the wild, when we did our trip to Cairns not long after she came to live with me – very exciting stuff!

All in all, it is another perfect book from CSIRO to add to your collection for all your avid wildlife enthusiasts. It gets a BOOMing 5 🌴🥚🌴🥚🌴rating for readers from around Prep upwards.