Dingo

Nature Storybooks

by Claire Saxby, Tannya Harricks (Illustrator)

Poetic language and glorious illustrations follow a dingo from the comfort of her pack into the darkening landscape in search of food for her family.

Can you see her? There -- deep in the stretching shadows -- a dingo. Her pointed ears twitch. Her tawny eyes flash in the low-slung sun.

Dingo leaves her sleeping pups with her mate and lifts her head to smell the air. Dusk is a busy time -- the time for hunting. Softly and fleetly she runs through the forest, past a possum, a wombat, and kangaroos in the gully below. Now she climbs to the highest point and sniffs again, locating the scent of rabbits in the wind. Interspersed with text offering facts for curious readers, Dingo is a lyrical foray into the life of these fascinating wild dogs.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Childrens, Australia, Dogs, Science

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2018

About the author

An Australian writer of fiction, non fiction and poetry for children

Reviews

[Julie]

My review for this book is now on the CBCA's Reading Time web site, readingtime.com.au

[Pat]

Beautifully illustrated, this is a fascinating book which rewards an second examination.

[Rena Sherwood]

DNF page 8.

The artwork hurt my eyes. I do have vision problems, so the severe brushstokes in the brightly colored illustrations (not seen so much in the cover) create a sharp, jagged effect, which can trigger a headache.

However, this was just my experience. Other people clearly enjoyed the book in a pain-free manner.

[Clare Snow]

I love dingoes. I love this book. The artwork is divine.

[Katie]

Tannya Harricks your paintings are delightful!

[Emkoshka]

Along with Emu, this is my favourite of the 'Nature Storybooks' series (so far!). Tannya Harricks's broad brush strokes seemed a bit messy at first, but I soon came to appreciate their perfection in capturing the imperfection of gum trees and the soft shapes of dingo pups. The full-page illustration of an adult dingo at repose on pages 3-4 was incredible, flawlessly capturing the internal life of an intelligent animal; I couldn't tear myself away from the dingo's soulful, contemplative eyes!

[Alicia Smith]

4.5 stars. Beautiful picture book, beautifully written. I love how it’s got both poetic story language features and then another section that is informational text. This book will be so useful for teaching, but first it was just enjoyable for me. Was good to get a closer look at the dingos before heading back to Fraser Island / K’gari!

[Edward Sullivan]

Poetic narrative, good information, and great oil paint illustrations.

[AD]

A beautiful book about dingoes, illustrated with oil paintings and using dual text to tell both a narrative story and informative facts.

[Amanda]

3 1/2 stars

Bumping it down a 1/2 star because the art style wasn't my personal favorite. Loved everything else

[Kelly]

This is part story of a dingo family, and part facts about the dingo. The story didn't capture my attention, and I didn't like the style of illustrations. Just a personal preference.

[Lisa Denford]

Simple language for very young readers and some informational info for slightly older kids. Note: one section at the end proposes an ‘old earth’ view.

[Randi]

Super cute, great art, and sprinkled with facts alongside the story.

[AGMaynard]

Wonderful painted illustrations by Tannya Harricks ably accompany fairly spare picture book that includes small fact paragraphs.

[Stacie]

Dingo! They do more than eat your baby!! Find out about the everyday and every night lives of dingos in this gorgeously painted children’s book.

[Pinky]

Dingo works hard to survive and grab a bite to eat.