Cassowary Dad is sitting on his eggs. It’s now his job to wait for his chicks to hatch.
Tap, tap crack! The eggs break open. Out pops three little striped chicks. They snuggle under their father’s beautiful dark feathers. He takes them on walks, pecking here and there to show them the good things to eat. Lace monitor appears from the bushes. Cassowary Dad fluffs up his feathers and BOOMS! As the chicks mimic their dad, they learn about life in the forest. As they eat, their scats spread seeds throughout the forest. As the chicks get bigger, they turn a milky brown but they still hide under his feathers at night, warm and safe.
One day a great storm rages across the land, decimating the forest. The food knocked to the ground won’t last long. They need to go to the very edge of their territory to find something to eat. Danger is lurking.
In the back of this book is information about this remarkable bird who stands between 1.5 and 1.8 metres tall. How they rear their young, that they are the forest gardeners, how we need to be wary of them and that they are endangered.
The illustrations are rich with the colours of the forest and the shades of the light of day and darkness of night. The bright green of the eggs, the blue of the cassowary and the colourful seeds pop off the pages.
An important book to help us learn more about this bird and another excellent story from this award-winning author.
Reviewed by Emily Ross
Age Guide 5+
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Beverley McWilliams writes non-fiction and historical fiction for children. She has a passion for Australian animals and hopes her books will spark an interest in native species.
Julian Teh is a Canberra-based scientific illustrator, and the illustrator of On the Trail of the Plains-wanderer. Fuelled by a lifelong passion for birds, he uses his paintings to tell the stories of his birding experiences.
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