Poetry at its best, the book Australian Verse for the Young, written by Bindi-Bindi and beautifully illustrated by Gympie artist Lynne Wilson, offers a fresh and engaging look at some of our Australian animals and landscapes through its verse. Rhyming couplets are a big feature. There are poems about a crocodile and a snake, a bilby, a dolphin, a cassowary and many other well-known Australian animals.. The settings for these poems are typically Australian, the iconic sandy white beach, the Australian Bush and the outback. There is also a celebration of the Aussie barbecue and one of our great national parks, Kakadu. The book has a handy contents page and also an informative glossary at the back which gives an excellent summary of each of the animals making an appearance in the book. This book is a welcome addition to the poetry bookshelf in our classroom. Finally, a message from the author Bindi-Bindi:
We hope you'll enjoy this book of verse,
Some poems are wordy. others quite terse,
But our fauna is there for you to enjoy,
So come and meet them - don't be coy.
And whenever you open this picture book,
And at each of these creatures, you take a look,
Make them your friends, and you will find,
That animals, like people, will respond if you're kind.
