Deb Fitzpatrick, Tawny Trouble, Fremantle Press, April 2025, 128 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760995294
Deb Fitzpatrick loves bushwalking with her family. She loves wildlife and the karri forest of the south-west of Western Australia. Driving into the bush to the Nannup Music Festival, Tawny Trouble feels like dropping into Deb Fitzpatrick’s world. The novel is filled with family adventures in the bush.
Tessa is on holidays with her Mum, Uncle Mo, little brother Felix and twins Kivi and Tess. They love the old cottage nestled in the forest, not too far from the music festival. They love the festival with all its games and activities. While they drive back to the cottage, they narrowly avoid a big kangaroo. But there’s disaster on the second night when they hit a bird with big eyes and tawny colours. Tessa worries as she helps the injured bird. They know that you can’t keep wildlife for more than 72 hours and find Otto a local registered wildlife carer. The tawny frogmouth is safe. But for the next holidays, they are all coming back to help Otto with the wildlife especially the tawny frogmouths. Tessa has become the ‘Tawny Queen’ and she loves that.
For young readers, Tawny Trouble is the ideal book for nature-loving readers with ways to care for the environment and caring for wildlife.
For ages 8+.
Reviewed by Susanne Gervay
