Kookaburra

The team behind Dingo returns with a lyrically told, beautifully illustrated exploration of another unique Australian animal: the laughing kookaburra.

In the crinkled shadows,
night dwellers yawn,
day creatures stretch,
and Kookaburra laughs.

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.

Claire Saxby is the best-selling and award-winning author of many books, including Dingo, illustrated by Tannya Harricks; Big Red Kangaroo and Emu, both illustrated by Graham Byrne; and Koala, illustrated by Julie Vivas. Claire Saxby lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Tannya Harricks is an award-winning visual artist who brings her sketches done in outdoor landscapes to life in the studio with layers of oil paint and bold brushstrokes. Dingo, also written by Claire Saxby, was her first picture book. Tannya Harricks lives with her husband and three sons close to the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in Sydney, Australia, where she is visited regularly by local kookaburras.