Jodie McLeod (text) and Eloise Short (illustrator), The Black Cockatoo With One Feather Blue, Wollemi Press, July 2023, 32 pp., $24.95 (hbk), ISBN 9780646874708
A glance at the cover, and a peek inside, and you already know you are in for a special read.
Set amongst the majestic Blue Mountains, a black cockatoo wakes to find her one blue feather gone. So begins the search amongst a stunning background, encountering Australia’s much-loved wildlife, to find a part of herself.
But will she find her old self, or rediscover something new?
Jodie McLeod’s love of mountain life echoes beautifully throughout the text, and along with her undulating rhyme takes readers on an unexpected adventure. There they find striking reminders of our magnificent flora and fauna, so uniquely Australian.
Eloise Short’s illustrations are works of art all on their own, capturing the fragility of our precious environment. The underlying muted tones stand as a reminder that amongst all that striking beauty, we must protect animals at risk of extinction, such as the black cockatoo with four out of five of the species under threat nationally. A set of online teaching resources outline some of the ways we can help, some as simple as building a bird bath so birds have access to water.
The book serves as both a calming read before naptime for young children, and an educational one for older children. Gracefully exploring themes such as iconic Australian birds, kindness, friendship, and letting go of things that no longer serve us, The black cockatoo with one feather blue is a timely message that we are greater than ourselves, and capable of truly incredible things.
Other books by Jodie and Eloise include Leonard the Lyrebird and Lilah the Lyrebird.
All books are distributed and sold largely through well-known booksellers in not only the Blue Mountains region but across other states as well.
Reviewed by Shelley Stephens
