Susanne Gervay (text), and Nancy Bevington (illustrator), Who’s the gang on our street?, Big Sky Publishing, 32 pp., RRP $17.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922896803
Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are endearing, mischievous, highly intelligent personalities of the Australian bird world. They are comical, they have rhythm and can dance, mimic, and perform to entertain us and each other. They are the subject of an enchanting picture book by author Susanne Gervay, dynamically illustrated by Nancy Bevington.
Cockatoos are extremely social – they gather, as Susanne Gervay cleverly describes it, in gangs. A clever and apt analogy used by Gervay because of the way in which these cheeky, irreverent cockatoos gang up to cause mischief and mayhem. Who’s the gang on our street? entices children into the dynamic, energetic world of our sulphur crested cockatoos. Each page depicts a cockatoo mimicking the actions of the children – playing, racing, dancing, balancing, hanging upside down, teaching each other new tricks, and finding delicious food to eat. The inquisitive group of friends set off on a mission to discover a local gang of cockatoos that live in their neighbourhood. Interestingly the final pages in this book includes facts about sulphur crested cockatoos followed by a quiz for young readers to test their recall facts gleaned from the text.
Both entertaining and educational, this is a wonderful narrative non-fiction story for young readers which generates interest in, and provides a fun way, to learn about these amazing Australian birds. An absolute delight!
Highly recommended picture book for ages 3+ years
Teachers’ Notes are available at the publisher’s website.
Reviewed by Julie Deane
