John Williamson (text) and Jonathan Bentley (illustrator), Koala Koala, Penguin Random House, April 2025, 24 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBNÂ 9781761344244
I admire John Williamson who is an iconic Australian musician and love his wonderful song True Blue. His encouragement of koala conservation and his work to raise support for the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital only increases his standing in my view. The last page of his book gives fact about koalas and carries the endorsement of Koala Conservation Australia. Within the book he encourages young people to help koalas through lines such as:
I will grow you a gum tree today.
Please watch out for dogs.
Put a water bowl on the ground.
The last line is a plea to all of us. Please bring back the forest for me.
Koala Koala is beautiful in its own right with the deeply felt words of John Williamson and exquisite illustrations by multi award winning artist Johathan Bentley.
You do have to love the fluffy ears of the koala.
A must-have in all school libraries.
Highly recommended for ages 3 plus.
Reviewed by Susanne Gervay
