Just So Stories

CSIRO Publishing

August 2025

ISBN: 9781486318339

RRP: $26.99

We may not live in the ‘bush’ as I’ve heard some proudly describe their location [while at the same time moaning about the lack of facilities, phone signal and more] but that doesn’t mean in the slightest that we do not have our fair share of wildlife, and particularly bird life.

In our own backyard, our dawn choristers would be, on any given day: Torresian crows, rock doves, crested pigeons, magpies, blue-faced honeyeaters and noisy miners. Don’t expect to sleep in very often!

We also have regular visits from ibises, lorikeets, corellas, peewees, masked lapwings, bush turkeys and the semi-regular fly-in from a tawny frogmouth, kookaburra and golden pheasant coucal. There are more, of course, across the peninsula and along the waterfront [which I will detail in another birdie post perhaps] but those are our backyard crew.

With this gorgeous book, readers are introduced to a wide variety of our native birds, and some lovely onomatopoeia with their various calls, tweets, chitters, squawks, melodies, warbles, caws, screeches, laughter and more. Both the text and the stunning illustrations are fabulous, and will enable the kiddos to be able to recognise many when they see them.

This will be a fabulous advantage if you get them involved in the annual Bird Count! The backmatter details the why and wherefore of the dawn chorus and factoids on the featured feathered friends plus a glossary. And, I have to mention, the glorious endpapers with the array of feathers!

Each day the Great Dawn Choir
greets the morning sun.
Together in the growing light,
their voices join as one.

All in all, this is just another quality CSIRO narrative non-fiction for your readers from around Early Childhood upwards to around Year 3/4. For a bird nerd such as myself, it’s wonderful and I have no doubt that your kiddos will also love it. Now – quelle sigh! no Aussie bird emojis so it has to be 5 🐦‍⬛🪶🪺🪽🦜rating.