Elvira and the Pilliga mouse by Pat Clarke
Ill. by Graeme Compton. Little Steps, 2016. ISBN 9781925117981
(Age: 7-9) Recommended. Pat Clarke's Elvira and the Pilliga
mouse is a junior novel that explores the themes of endangered
Australian animals, survival and the impact of feral animals on the
native animal population. Graeme Compton's detailed paint and ink
illustrations add a dynamic element to the story. He brings the
characters to life, showing their emotions and responses in Clarke's
adventures of Elvira the wedge-tailed eagle who is one of the stars
of the Taronga Zoo Bird Show. She majestically swoops down over the
audience each day as the final act. Elvira is a survivor, rescued
from a forest fire that ravaged her home, the Goonoo Forest in NSW
leaving only her father alive. The young eagle began her
recuperation at Dubbo Zoo, and then sent on to Taronga to continue
her recovery.
When a mini-tornado swirls through Taronga Zoo one afternoon, Elvira
is transported away from her zoo home to the base of the Blue
Mountains. A boobook owl encourages her to begin a quest to find out
if her father is still alive back in Goonoo Forest. Along the way,
Elvira rescues a wounded schoolboy, building a large nest to protect
him from the weather, as well as directing the rescuers to his
location. While her old injuries prevent her from flying long
distances, she takes her time and cleverly uses the signs to Dubbo
Zoo to direct her flight path.
Unfortunately, instead of a welcome, Elvira lands on a tree in
Monkey Island, frightening the screeching animals, and similar
disturbances occur throughout the animal enclosures. Quickly flying
away from her former friends, she lands on a farm at the edge of the
forest. This is fortuitous as she meets Egbert the rooster who has
very exciting information for her. Most importantly, Elvira flies
Pookie one of the last Pilliga mice back to the forest and saves a
rare species.
Resilience, hope, friendship and determination are some of the
characteristics Elvira the wedge-tail eagle demonstrates. Elvira and
the Pilliga mouse is a resource that supports the Year 2 and 3
Science Curriculum - developing the learners' understandings of the
environment's role in the survival of living things, to understand
the human impact on living things and to develop dialogues about
ways to protect living things.
Rhyllis Bignell