Just So Stories

Scholastic Australia

March 2025

ISBN: 9781760268275

RRP: $19.99

To follow up on the first of this week of birdie books, it’s another Queenslander. Yes, I know ibis are found elsewhere but these are so iconically Queensland that there is a strong push for them to be the Brisbane Olympics official mascot. We generally have at least one or two visit our backyard daily, and down by the waterfront they are in big numbers, waiting for their share of fish and chips.

They are pretty ubiquitous wherever there’s a possibility of scavenging food scraps and what better venue than a school sports day? When Bin Chicken follows the busload of kids and arrives at the sports oval, she is delighted to see her cousins flocking there as well. There’s a whole lot of high stepping and flapping as attempts to shoo the bin chickens out of the action zones goes on, without success, of course. They really are very determined creatures.

And when the opportunity to seize a cheese baguette comes within her grasp, the relay race is ON!! Ready set GO!! for another hilarious Bin Chicken adventure, which ends in an ibis victory.

This series has been such a big hit with all the kiddos I know, and we all share our own bin chicken stories after reading one of them. As usual the rhyming text is lively and scans beautifully and Ronojoy Ghosh’s vivid and vibrant illustrations, with some cute hidden nuggets to find as well [no Bin Chicken, not edible ones!]. Loads of fun for readers from Prep upwards and as there is no bin chicken emoji [such an oversight!] it will have to be a 5 🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮 rating. Love it!