You're Too Little by Katie Stewart

You have big eyes to see in the dark.

You have strong paws to hold on.

And you have a super special tail.

You have want it takes. Why not give it a go?

Bookseller blurb: Pygmy Possum wants to climb far, far up into the trees to taste the sweet blossom nectar. But everyone keeps telling her the same thing- 'It's very high. You're too little. You might fall.' Are they right, or will she find a way? This is a gentle tale of believing in yourself in the face of others' doubt and recognising your own strengths.

The main character in this story of bravery and confidence is a Western Pygmy Possum. Here is a photo:

Image source: Australian Geographic

Books with a repeated refrain are perfect for preschoolers either to read beside your own child or with a group. I like the way the Australian animals in this book really look like real animals and also the choices of animals are perfect because many of these will be less well known to young readers and so might spark some curiosity. 

Image Source: WA Museum

Katie Stewart reads her book in this video. Here are the teaching notes from the publisher. As background reading for teachers or if you set a research task for older students you might like to read more about each of the Australian animals in this story:

• Western Pygmy Possum
• Numbat
• Brushtail Possum
• Gecko
• Weebill

This is a Weebill - I had not heard of this bird

Image Source: Birdlife

This is a gentle tale of believing in yourself in the face of others’ doubt and recognising your own strengths, to have faith in yourself regardless of others’ opinions and develop resilience, perseverance and that inner strength that allows risk-taking as well as dealing with success and failure. The Bottom Shelf

Thanks to Fremantle Press for sending me a copy of this book which was published on 29th July 2025. This book reminded me a little of Puffling. If you are talking about growing up, confidence, perseverance, self belief and 'the right time' you could read these two books side by side.

The story is set at night because these animals are nocturnal but that gives rise to my only tiny criticism of this book - I found myself wanting a break from the strong saturated blue of the night sky which is used on every page. 

This book is part of a series:

Katie Stewart is an author and illustrator. Born in the north of England, she came to Australia at the age of nine. She started her working life as an archaeologist and ethnohistorian, went on to teaching and then to being a mother. She later worked in a school library, but her lifelong dream was to be what she is now. She is married to a farmer, has three children, and her great love of animals means she has a lot of pets and takes lots of nature photos. In her spare time, she tries to play the harp or wanders the countryside with a metal detector amusing the neighbours and occasionally finding an interesting piece of history. Her books have been shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year (2020 and 2021) and shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Book Awards (2022).

The Great Dawn Choir by Sarah Speedie illustrated by Cindy Lane

"The term dawn chorus refers to the collective calls of birds at the start of a new day. ... It usually begins anywhere from 90 to 30 minutes before the sun rises. ... Birdsong and calls can be used to communicate with other birds or to defend territory. That's why the dawn chorus is a mix of raucous squawking and chatty screeches alongside melodic songs or loud territorial calls."

Can you name all the birds on the cover of this book? I have listed them below if you are unsure.

My favourite from my own morning bird choir/chorus are the pairs of birds who sing call and response to one another. I like to think of it as a safety check or their love language. Listen to this one the Common Koel.

Can I suggest you open up this web link which contains the top 40 bird songs of the birds found in our Australian backyards and use it when you read this book for the second time.  It will really add another dimension to this experience for your young students. I would begin with the kookaburra. There ae also detailed notes at the back of The Great Dawn Choir with photographs of each of the eight birds. 

Click on the eight birds featured in this book:

• Australian magpie
• Sulphur-crested cockatoo
• Rainbow lorikeet
• Laughing kookaburra
• Fairy wren
• Australian raven
• Crested pigeon

There is nothing to see in this video (10 minutes) so I would just play it for your library group and let them close their eyes and listen. They might recognise some of these dawn chorus sounds from their own neighborhood. Also in my post about This Bird I mention the ABC Radio National weekly bird sound 'competition' called 'tweet of the week' (link below).

You can see more books illustrated by Cindy Lane here and you can discover other books by Sarah Speedie here. I also found an Instagram post where we see Cindy Lane painting her fairy wren. A couple of days I talked about this book which is also from CSIRO Publishing. 

This Bird

Huge thanks to CSIRO Publishing for sending a review copy of The Dawn Chorus. I'm building up a terrific collection of books about our Australian birds. The Great Dawn Choir will be released in August.

Try to find this book too after you look at the end papers of The Great Dawn Choir which are filled with feathers. This one is not Australian but it is a truly special book:

Birds and their feathers

Here are some other books about birds and their songs:

The Forgotten Song

This is perfect because it also contains onomatopoeia

Magpies in Australia

Have you heard the nesting bird

The Song of the Nightingale

These companion books might be in your school library - I have popped all of them on my own list but please note these are not about Australian birds:

This Bird: Noticing our urban birds by Astred Hicks and Dr Holly Parsons

"This book is for curious people who like to look around them and find out more. Bird noticing is a lovely way to connect with nature and the world around us."

In the introduction to this book you might recognise the names three birds you have seen in other books - the bar-tailed godwit (Jeannie Baker Circle); the satin bowerbird (Bowerbird Blues and sequels by Aura Parker) and the powerful owl (Apollo the Powerful Owl by Gordon Winch).

Almost one hundred Australian birds are explored in this book with twenty-six explored in detail. Here are some of the page headings which are sure to make you curious:

• This bird looks different from its partner
• This bird plays hide and seek
• This bird flies marathons
• This bird is a moonlight wailer
• This bird walks on water
• This bird is cheeky
• This bird is a swimmer
• This bird is a hoverer
• This bird is 'shellfish'
• This bird is gregarious
• This bird has a red butt
• This bird eats with a spoon
• This bird is more than an angler
• This bird is an artist
• This bird is a liar
• This bird is a master of disguise
• This bird has a sweet tooth
• This bird is a cruncher

On the back end paper you could play a game with your young reading companion of name that bird. I also like the way there are small symbols on each page that you use to identify the type of bird such as grassland bird, seabird, wader or raptor. Did you know the name for a bird who eats fish is a piscivore and one that eats seeds is a granivore? As with all good nonfiction this book also has a detailed index and glossary. In a classroom it would be interesting to focus on one double page each week and use the information as a jumping off point to discover even more about each urban bird and you could do a search for an audio file to hear the call of your focus bird. Perhaps your students could also do some birdwatching in their local area and you could make a class book of your discoveries. Have you discovered the ABC Radio National Tweet of the Week where listeners identify birds from their calls - it is such a fun little treat each week. 

There are teachers notes available on the publisher webpage. If you purchase a library standing order this book is sure to be included. I also expect to see this book listed as a 2026 CBCA Eve Pownall notable title. 

Our Australian birds do have very special features but I also love some of their names: bellbird, gang-gang cookatoo, noisy friarbird, grey goshawke, mistletoebird, pied oystercatcher, royal spoonbill, and of course the willie wagtail. Another bird that I find so curious is the Tawny Frogmouth. Take a look at this photo of a spotted pardalote - then you could compare the photo with the excellent illustration by Astred Hicks and with this one from Bridget Farmer:

The Bush Birds - Spotted Pardalote

After reading this book I hope one day to see a comb-crested jacana; a purple swamphen; and a red-rumped parrot!

Huge thanks to CSIRO Publishing for my advance copy of This Bird. It will be published on 1st August 2025 but I suggest you pop this on your shopping list or library wish list now. 

Gleebooks Kids

There are some fantastic books available for our children about birds but they are not always about our unique Australian birds. I lived in Canada (my favourite bird there was the loon) some years ago and one of the things that surprised me was the way I missed the familiar sounds of our birds. Where I live now there is a colony of kookaburras and their laugh makes me smile every time I hear them nearby or have the thrill of seeing one on my balcony. When I walk in a bush area close by, I often hear the eastern whip bird calling to their partner. Out of interest I 'Googled' birds around the lagoon near my home and I found this astonishing list. Here is one of my own local favourites:

Masked Lapwing Image source: Birds of Australia

I like this photo because it shows two of these birds 

and when I see them near the lagoon they are always together as a pair. 

And I read that when you see two like this it is usually a male and a female.

They are sometimes called a Spur-wing Plover

You can hear their distinct call here.

Companion books to read alongside This Bird:

The Bush Birds and look for the second in this series The Beach Birds

The art in these two books is truly special.

Australian Backyard Birdies is so funny and yet it also contains scientific information

Your art lesson could involve painting or creating pictures of our Australian native birds. If you have any of the books I have mentioned in this post you could compare the illustration styles. 

In 2015 I joined a bird watching tour of Shetland and Fair Isle. I am not a bird watcher but the enthusiasm and deep knowledge of our two guides was inspirational and that shines through with the author of this book Dr Holly Parsons. Watch this 2015 video from Gardening Australia where Holly talks about birds in our gardens. You can find Astred Hicks on Instagram.

We are so lucky to have a publisher like CSIRO Publishing. They source experts in their field and pair them with hugely talented authors and illustrators. Every school and public library should have a collection of their titles. Take a look at this post from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything. Here are a few I have read in recent years:

On the trail of the Plains Wanderer

The Forgotten Song

Our World full of Wonder

Where are all the Christmas Beetles?

Secrets of the Saltmarsh

Bowerbird Brood by Aura Parker

In the first book - Bowerbird Blues - the pair of bowerbirds find each other. Time has now moved on and there are three eggs in the nest and the female is charged with all the work - keeping the eggs safe and warm over the long days and nights until they hatch. Then when the three little chicks arrive we watch them grow and change all expressed in the most delightful language.

"When the wind blows, my wings are walls, sheltering, keeping. Cuddling, caring. Softly, slowly stroking, gently with my feathers. Whispering, over and over, little ones you are safe and warm and loved."

Special mention with this book goes to the magnificent end papers and the soft colour palette used throughout the book. This is such a visually appealing book with illustrations to linger over and revisit. 

Before or even after reading Bowerbird Brood with your library group, class or young reading companion it would be good to look at some photographs of male and female bowerbirds. As with many bird species - the female bowerbird has very different plumage to her male companion. I also recommend you dip into my previous post about bowerbirds. 

The female bowerbird has sole responsibility for raising the chicks. The female builds a shallow cup-shaped nest from sticks and twigs, in a bush or tree. She lays 1-3 eggs of pale brown with darker markings, which she will incubate for about 3 weeks. The chicks leave the nest when they are 17-21 days old and are dependent for food on their mother for several more weeks.

Here is a description of the art process in Bowerbird Brood by Aura Parker:

The illustrations created for this book are a mixture of digital and traditional watercolour, with some elements painted by hand on smooth watercolour paper and others with a Photoshop brush. 

You can see inside this book here. 

This is the companion volume to Bowerbird Blues.

Little Puggle's Song by Vikki Conley illustrated by Helene Magisson

All of the birds contribute to the bush chorus. You can hear the little blue wren, the fantail, the Sulphur crested cockatoo, and the laughter of Brown Feather. Little Puggle longs to join them but he just cannot make a sound. Even the Kangaroo and Koala can grunt and click. Brown Feather is in charge of the orchestra. Brown Feather is a kookaburra but on the day they all need to sing to help the emu family with their eggs, Brown Feather is ill. How can the chorus still sing without their leader? Little Puggle has the answer. He has been quietly watching Brown Feather. He plucks a long quill from his back and the singing can begin!

Little Puggle's Song was a Notable Early Childhood Book of the Year by The Children's Book Council of Australia in 2020. Here are some brief teachers notes. I this interview Vikki Conley talks about the inspiration for her story and here is her webpage. Read this extensive review on The Neverending Bookshelf. In this video Vikki Conley reads her book. 

This deceptively simple story is  all about joining in, finding your own special talent and the warmth of community and of course, the power of music. Sure to appeal to the very young and everybody else as well. Storylinks

The stand out illustrations with beautiful colour and light create a dreamy Australian setting, and an instant connection with Little Puggle’s character. Vikki Conley’s captivating story-telling and Helene Magison’s pictures flow and lift each other to make a wholesome and stunning book with a cover so delightful that it warmed my heart before I even opened it. Kids' Book Review

Early in 2024 Orchestra Victoria turned Little Puggle's Song into a performance - I wish I had known about this - it must have been very special.

Hello and welcome to Little Puggles Song, one of Orchestra Victoria’s special Storytime Series, designed for our young and young-at-heart audiences. Telling stories is at the heart of what we do here at Orchestra Victoria, and we are so thrilled to bring you Vikki Conley’s book in a new and interactive way, with an enthralling composition by well-known composer Maria Grenfell and featuring a selection of our talented Orchestra Victoria musicians. We hope you enjoy the musical prowess of today’s performance as they bring this exciting musical score to life telling the story of Puggle, the young echidna who wants to find his voice so he can take part in the bush choir.

Here is the sequel:

I guess by now you have worked out the word puggle is the term for a baby echidna. I have often thought I would love to talk to an international audience of children's literature fans about our Australian animals and the way they are portrayed in picture books - especially the less well-known animals such as the echidna. 

• Echidnas, along with the platypus, are the only mammals known to lay eggs, placing them in the unique mammalian subclass of monotremes.
• An echidna’s tongue can shoot out of its snout at remarkable speeds, up to 100 times per minute, to capture ants and termites.
• Echidnas have a highly developed sense of smell and a significant portion of their brain is dedicated to olfactory processing.
• Echidnas make up 4 of the 5 surviving species of monotremes.
• Echidnas are great swimmers.
• Echidnas are covered in quills. These quills are made of keratin, the same material that makes up hair, claws, and fur. The keratin proteins harden into spikes that protect the echidna from harsh conditions and predators.
• Echidnas are powerful diggers.
• They produce milk from patches of skin. Young echidnas suckle on these patches and draw milk through pores in the mother echidna’s skin.
• Young echidnas suckle on these patches and draw milk through pores in the mother echidna’s skin.

I previously talked about these books by Vikki Conley:

Under the red shawl

Amira's Suitcase

Milly and the Mulberry tree

And I previously talked about these book illustrated by Helene Magisson:

Sarah's Two Nativities

The secret boat

Quickly Quickly

Before you were born

Secrets of the Saltmarsh by Claire Saxby illustrated by Alicia Rogerson

I am land and water.

I need sunshine and rain.

I clean the air and the water.

I store carbon.

I am always changing.

I am a saltmarsh wetland ...

This pattern of text (quoted from pages 3 and 4) is used through out this book - I am a saltmarsh; I am the ocean; I am water; I am the wind; I am sunlight; we are plants; we are birds; we are the little ones; we are the tiny ones; we are the seasons; I am a cycle of life; I am a mangrove tree.

As you would expect there are four pages of extra facts at the back of this book and glossary and map. 

Secrets of the Saltmarsh is another terrific book published by CSIRO here in Australia. They have a knack for selecting interesting topics and also for pairing the right author illustrator combination. This book is a must add title for all Australian primary schoools.

The opening end papers are filled with birds - sandpiper, spoonbill, whimbrel and grassbird. The back end papers are filled with fish. 

This link will take you to the teachers notes. I am going to predict we will see this book listed by the CBCA judges as a 2025 Eve Pownall notable title and possibly a short listed one too. Take a look at this review from The Bottom Shelf.

Definitions:

Salt marsh, area of low, flat, poorly drained ground that is subject to daily or occasional flooding by salt water or brackish water and is covered with a thick mat of grasses and plants such as sedges and rushes.

A mangrove is a type of coastal tree that can live in harsh saltwater environments. When there are many mangroves living together, it’s called a mangrove forest. 

Wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.

Claire Saxby explains her book here. 

Further reading:

• Ocean Conservancy US site
• Salt Marsh facts for kids
• Kent wildlife trust UK site
• 3 minute video about mangroves (upper Primary level)
• Australian mangrove facts for kids 

I tried to find other children's books about the saltmarsh - this one is from the US and published 2007:

I would pair this book with Tanglewood.

I do hope the Teacher-Librarian in my former school has discovered this wonderful book Secrets of the Saltmarsh. Our Grade Two students visit the wetland area near my former primary school every year and I did collect lots of books about mangroves (see below) but this one adds another layer of information to that topic.

Take a look here to see all the fabulous books by Claire Saxby. Alicia Rogerson is the illustrator of One Potoroo: