Just So Stories

Walker Books Australia
October 2025

ISBN13:9781760657796

Australia RRP:$25.99

New Zealand RRP:$27.99

You know it’s true. We’ve all done it. We’ve all talked about the vicious dropbears of Australia – particularly, of course, to our more gullible overseas friends. *Grin*

Apparently, it’s not just humans that spread these wild rumours. In this bush outing from the talented Phillip Bunting, the other inhabitants of the bush are equally spreading furphies around the savage and dangerous tree-dweller.

“Dropbear is mean.”

“Dropbear is savage.”

“Dropbear smells like stinky old cabbage.”

But you know what? Dropbear isn’t anything like that at all, but it takes one tiny red-backed wren to be brave enough to dispel the untruths.

Now, isn’t that a great lesson to take to your kiddos? Gossiping about people, spreading wild stories without any evidence, making stuff up just because we don’t know the truth – this is the stuff of every school – and likely, every neighbourhood, I venture. But it only takes one person to have the courage to find out the truth and share it.

It’s a funny thing that with great synchronicity, I’m re-watching Northern Exposure episodes and just in the past week saw the episode where Joel encounters Adam – the wild man rumoured to be a dangerous psychopathic killer living in the woods – and finds out that he’s a gourmet cook who just prefers to be alone, than with people.

It’s a trope we encounter many times, particularly in kids’ lit when a character that has been misjudged by most, is revealed to be completely ‘ok’as the plot continues.

We all tend to be judgemental and, without doubt, there are times when that’s justified when we see the evidence of someone’s bad behaviour or dishonesty or just plain horribleness, but for the many times we judge on hearsay or appearances, this humorous little fable provides us with a good reminder to search out the truth before we do so.

So it’s not really a Halloween story as such – but I figure the legend of the Dropbear deserved an outing to kick off a week of creepy stories.

Enjoy the magic of Phillip Bunting – author and illustrator extraordinaire [I just ADORE his illo style!] with this one, which gets a juicy eucalyptic 5 🐨🐨🐨🐨🐨rating for Smalls from EC up to around Year 3/4.