Dingo by Claire Saxby
Ill. by Tannya Harricks. Nature Storybooks series. Walker Books,
2018. ISBN 9781925381283
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Dingoes. Non fiction.
Australian outback. Survival. This beautifully crafted picturebook
tells of the life and environment of a mother dingo as she looks
after her pups, going out at night hunting for food for them,
watching over them as they sleep, keeping warm with her pack.
Through one night of hunting, Saxby reveals how she survives this
seemingly barren land, taking smaller animals, using her incredible
skills to hunt down and kill a rabbit before it is even aware it is
being watched. She watches the other animals foraging in the night,
an owl searching from above, kangaroos too big for her to bother
with grazing in the evening shadows.
The bold brush strokes make the pictures dance, as the dingo goes
about its tasks. Layered oil paint brings the animal and its
environment close to the reader, making them aware of the skills the
dingo needs to survive, its long rangy legs, lean sleek body, bright
eyes and alert ears. Brush strokes outline the gum trees and rolling
hills, the sweep of the hill tops, the darkening sky. Every
page will make readers draw in their breath as another vista is
shown, recognisably Australian. Several times readers are asked to
find the dingo hidden in the woods, forcing younger readers to
ponder the usefulness of the patchy colouring of the dingo.
I found each page a delight to look at and ponder, and the index at
the end with a brief summary of the dingo helped me learn more about
this animal which creates such divided opinions. As with all the
wonderful series from Walker, each page has a story line in one font
and information in a different font, allowing readers to see the
book from two different perspectives, but each allowing the reader
to gain greater insight.
Saxby has successfully written two other books in this series: Big
Red Kangaroo, and Emu, which I loved, while I saw Harricks' bold
style at the Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize Exhibition in
Adelaide and have watched out for her work since.
This book is worth seeking out for your library.
Fran Knight