Bird to Bird by Claire Saxby illustrated by Wayne Harris

Begin with the cover - notice the bird flying in the air and the other bird, possibly made from wood, held in a hand above the ocean.

These things come together in this book but you need to read the text to make all the connections. A bird drops a seed, it grows into a tree, the wood from the tree is used to make bunk beds on a ship, this is a ship filled with convicts heading to Australia. The ship falls into disrepair and so the wood from the bunk beds is now used to make a weaving loom because clothes are desperately needed in the new colony. Wool is woven into fabric and then the fabric is made into suits. Eventually the loom is no longer in use and so this wood is now used as part of a kitchen roof. Over time the old home crumbles but a crafter finds the wood and carves a small bird. I just sighed over this perfect ending. 

Here is a set of teachers notes.

There's also a gently delivered message about treating our world with respect and being responsible with its resources. The story's words are used sparingly, which when combined with a series of beautifully painted images, evoke a sense of looking down on places and events as time passes. Bird to Bird is a book that packs a powerful punch. Kids' Book Review

I recently spent a few spare hours in a local library and I took the time to make notes about several picture books which I am now sharing here months later. I had not seen Bird to Bird even though it was published in 2018 but by then I had left my former school library. This book would be SO perfect to share with a Grade Three or Four class as a part of their topic on Australian history especially alongside another book by Claire Saxby My name is Lizzie Flynn. Take a look at the NCACL annotation. 

Other books by Claire Saxby:

Iceberg

Secrets of the Saltmarsh

Other books illustrated by Wayne Harris:

Read about Wayne Harris in this post

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:

Night Watch by Jodi Toering illustrated by Tannya Harricks

As night falls the Tawny Frogmouth sets off to fly home. I imagine this pair are hunting for food for their chicks. Along the way other night animals, many with their own young, look up from below or from their own nest - cockatoo, koala, emu, echidna, wallaby, numbat, and pygmy possum. You can almost feel the swoosh of their wings when they finally reach their home and land on the branch with their three fluffy babies.

Very, very occasionally a tawny frogmouth has landed on my verandah rail. These wonderful, camouflaged birds sit so still and of course they arrive in the evening with the darkness making it even harder to see them. The tawny frogmouth looks like an owl but it is not an owl. 

The scientific name of the Tawny Frogmouth is Podargus strigoides. "The genus name, Podargus, is from the Greek work for gout. Why? Unlike owls they don't have curved talons on their feet; in fact, their feet are small, and they’re said to walk like a gout-ridden man! Their species name, strigoides, means owl-like." 

"More closely related to the nightjar than the owl, the tawny frogmouth is mottled grey, white, black, and rufous, allowing them to easily become camouflaged with the bark of a tree. Like owls, their feathers are soft which helps them fly silently through the air, but they lack the strong, curved talons that owls are renown for."

Further reading

• Australian Museum
• Bush Heritage
• Australian Geographic
• Birdlife Australia

You can see and hear a family of Tawny Frogmouths here and 

read more on this site Gizmodo.

I wonder why Walker Books Australia didn't format this book for inclusion in their wonderful Nature Storybook series or if this wasn't the choice of the author then perhaps they could have added a fact page at the back of the book. While I have heard of and seen the tawny frogmouth I did not know very much about them. There are also lots of Australian animals mentioned in this book many of which could be unfamiliar to an internation audience. Do we have native quail in Australia? 

When you reach the final page of Night Watch please grab a copy of Owl Babies by Martin Waddell illustrated by Patrick Benson. I know I said a Tawny Frogmouth is not an owl but the final scene with the parents and babies sitting on a branch strongly resembles the scene when the mother returns in Owl Babies.

If you are using this book with a group of older students it might be interesting to discuss the way Jodi Toering adds capital letters to her text. 

"Dusk whispers softly, soothing Day to slumber as the last of Sunset's flames smoulder slowly skyward. Tawny Frogmouth wakens." 

Moon is a character with a female gender. Also talk about expressive phrases such as liquid moonlight; blanketing the earth; drenched in silver starlight; stretching infinite; and rushing crystal clear.

Try to find this splendid book by Narelle Oliver to read alongside Night Watch:

I own a few art pieces by Australian children's book illustrators but I would love to add a piece by Tannya Harricks. I have greatly admired her work ever since I saw this book:

Mallee Sky

Look for this book also illustrated by Tannya Harricks about one of our iconic Australian birds - the Kookaburra.

Kookaburra

Here is the web page for Jodi Toering and also for Tannya Harricks. 

Iceberg by Claire Saxby illustrated by Jess Racklyeft

Antarctica is a fascinating place but it is also a place very few of us will ever visit. If you do visit Antarctica you will only be there for a very short time and only see a fragment of this huge continent. People do work at the various stations in Antarctica but only a small number of people will ever experience a whole year in the coldest, windiest, driest place on earth.

Every word in Iceberg is liquid gold. The text is informed by facts but expressed using a carefully constructed lyrical text. Referencing the seasons as a way to mark time is perfect in the context of an iceberg in Antarctica. The colours beautifully reflect the icy environment and a sense of wonder is created by the see-through transparent layers of water which allow the reader to see the mysteries beneath the ocean. 

This book has been carefully designed. The front cover has a stark image of an iceberg but closer inspection reveals the different animals that call this place home. The end papers actually look cold and contrast beautifully with the exuberant colours found on the fold out page later in the book. The text and illustrations in this book beautifully complement each other. There are tiny touches of humour in the faces of the sea creatures and this adds a lightness to the story. This book will stand the test of time, the sense of place is very strong and the text will give young readers a rich reading experience.

Publisher blurb (click this link to find very comprehensive teachers notes): In the final freeze of an Antarctic winter, green tails wave across a star-full sky, as if to farewell endless nights. If this world looks empty, look closer ... Penguins trek across the ice to their winter homes. As the temperature warms, birds fly above on their long migrations. And with the advent of summer, beneath an iceberg, the sea is teeming with life. Ocean, sky, snow and ice - minute greens and giant blues - dance a delicate dance in this evocative portrayal of the life cycle of an iceberg.

In 2017 Claire Saxby wrote a poem for our NSW School Magazine (Touchdown issue #1 February 2017).  I was luckily able to obtain a copy. Claire mentioned this in an interview with Joy Lawn for her blog Paperbark Words. Claire talks about this process here. 

Here is part of the poem:

In a blue Antarctic dawn

an iceberg calves - 

shears from a glacier

and is released to the sea

sharp and angular

it hoards ancient weather

layers of ice clothing

a coat for each year volcanoes blew

and black ash fell like snow

Iceberg was the 2022 Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year winner but because it was entered for the CBCA Picture Book of the Year I haven't been able to talk about it until now.  Book Week and the announcement of the CBCA Award winners for 2022 happened last month. As a CBCA judge I had to wait to share these books until the judging was completed.

Here are the judges comments:

The writing is sophisticated; facts and technical vocabulary are lyrically combined with beautiful description. The sentences are perfectly balanced, and verbs are used precisely to describe the vivid life of this icy place. The choice of artistic medium offers a perfect complement to the text; the illustrations are subtle at times and commanding at others. The use of many shades of blue beautifully reflects this icy environment and immerses readers in the Antarctic. A sense of wonder is created through transparent layers of water allowing readers to spot life above and the mysteries below the surface.

Awards:

• Adelaide Festival Award for Literature shortlist 2022
• CBCA Notable Picture Book of the Year 2022
• CBCA Notable Eve Pownall Award
• CBCA Shortlist Picture Book of the Year 2022
• CBCA Picture Book of the Year 2022 Winner

In this video shared on Facebook Jess Racklyeft talks about her research and processes in creating the art for this book. 

Here in Australia, by now, most children in Primary schools are sure to have heard (hopefully someone read the book in a library or classrooom) and/or seen (Storybox Library) this book but I know people from other places in the world read my blog so I do hope you can find Iceberg in your local library, school or book store. Here is the website for Jess Racklyeft and for Claire Saxby.

Her text is both narrative and non-fiction, effortlessly creating a wonderful reading experience for teachers, librarians or parents while also providing an educational, fact-learning feast for children in kindergarten to middle primary. Reading Time

Saxby’s text is sophisticated, poetic and accessible all at once and Racklyeft’s illustrations are multi-layered and luminescent; ‘Iceberg’ is text and images in perfect harmony ... Children's Books Daily

Here is the US cove which is slightly different - I wonder why they added a subtitle?

Here are some craft works inspired by this book:

Le Page Primary School Victoria

Booragul Public School, NSW

Here are some books you could use to compare the way illustrators depict Antarctica:

Other books by Claire Saxby:

Kookaburra by Claire Saxby illustrated by Tannya Harricks

Publisher blurb: Kook-kook-kook. Kak-kak-kak. What is that sunrise chorus that sounds like laughter? It is a kookaburra and her family, calling over the river. Follow these iconic Australian birds as they search for food and team up to defend their territory in preparation for the nesting season. With rich paintings and poetic text, threaded through with intriguing facts, Kookaburra offers insight into the lives of these fascinating birds. Curious readers will find more information about kookaburras at the end, as well as an index leading them back through the book to explore these distinctive creatures more closely.

I adore Kookaburras and I am lucky because there is a colony of them living in the bush land near me so I often see them and hear their raucous and very distinct laughter. 

I picked up Kookaburra at the Book Bunker library at Westmead Children's Hospital mainly because I wanted to share the fabulous illustrations. This book would also be perfect to send as a gift to a child or friend living overseas.

Image Source: Booktopia

Here is an interview with Tannya by Kids' Book Review. 

I often think it would be wonderful to present a paper at an international conference about our Australian animals and birds in picture books especially the less well known ones or less well known overseas anyway.  You might remember I already talked about wombats (there are so many picture books about wombats perhaps because Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French is so popular). You might like to explore other books about kookaburras.

Kookaburra is from the Nature Story Book (Read and Wonder) series from Walker Books. If you have not discovered Tannya Harricks try to find her spectacular book Mallee Sky.