Dropbear
Age 4+
Picture Storybooks Animal Stories
Philip Bunting - author illustrator of award-winning titles Mopoke and Not Cute - introduces the most enigmatic creature in the Australian bush.
They say Dropbear is mean, Dropbear is savage .
But They are the gossips ...
Meet Dropbear, if you dare, and decide for yourself!
From Philip Bunting, creator of internationally acclaimed fiction and non-fiction including Mopoke, Not Cute, Give Me Some Space! How Did I Get Here? The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants, and I Wonder
Creators
Philip Bunting is an author and illustrator, whose picture books deliberately encourage the reader to playfully poke around at the edges of their understanding. Philip's have been published in over 35 countries around the world, in almost as many languages. Philip’s work has received many accolades, including multiple Honours from the Children’s Book Council of Australia, making the list for the Kate Greenaway Medal, representing Australia at the IBBY Awards, and taking home the inaugural State Library of NSW Russell Prize for Humour Writing.
Philip grew up in England’s Lake District, just down the road from Mrs Tiggy-Winkle’s place. He followed his heart to Australia in his early 20s, and now lives with his young family on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Reviews
A wonderful ode to that most Aussie of animals… the Dropbear… and a message about not believing everything you hear and being brave enough to find out the truth for yourself.
fhclibrary via instagram
Bunting’s artwork is bold, funny and packed with character, using moody colours and expressive faces to set the scene. Dropbear looks just scary enough to give you a thrill, but also soft and silly in a way that makes you smile. Every page is a visual treat that adds to the mystery and humour.
Better Reading
We all tend to be judgemental and, without doubt, there are times when that’s justified when we see the evidence of someone’s bad behaviour or dishonesty or just plain horribleness, but for the many times we judge on hearsay or appearances, this humorous little fable provides us with a good reminder to search out the truth before we do so. So it’s not really a Halloween story as such – but I figure the legend of the Dropbear deserved an outing to kick off a week of creepy stories.
Just So Stories
Whether the dropbear itself began as a uniquely Australian “bogeyman” to scare children to do the right thing, or as a trick played on soldiers from overseas, it serves a very useful purpose in this charming story ideal for both Australian children and their international counterparts.
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