Beverley McWilliams (text) and Julian Teh (illustrator), Cassowary Dad, CSIRO Publishing, February 2025, 32 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781486317578
This picture follows the daily happenings of a cassowary family as they learn and survive in the Australian bushland.
Essentially a storified non-fiction book, readers meet the leading man on page one, Cassowary Dad is guarding his mate’s eggs, a task he has been at for 52 days. But his sacrifice proves fruitful as out hatch three small stripy cassowary chicks. Cassowary Dad then sets about teaching them all the things they need to know to thrive, like how to wade in the swamp, forage for insects and how to deal with medium sized animals. He is protective and patient over the 9 months it takes for the chicks to develop into independent adolescent cassowaries.
The images in this book are lush and rich, giving a really sense of the dense rainforest bushland cassowaries inhabit. The deep greens and browns help readers get a tactile feel of the setting and also provide a strong background for the bright green eggs and the brightly coloured wattle of the adult bird.
Big congratulations to the creators for taking an example of solo-fatherhood from nature and shining a generous spotlight on it. This is a terrific book for kids to read close to Father’s Day in September, especially if they are in a family with a single father. Cassowary Dad is at once protective, nurturing, caring and diligent. Seemingly capable of doing it all.
I really liked this one as a clever blend of story and facts. I think it will be interesting to children from kindergarten to Grade 4.
Reviewed by Cherie Bell
