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Nature Storybooks
Koala: Read and Wonder
When a young male koala outgrows his mother's pouch, it's time to find a new home for himself -- braving perils and adventures along the way.
In a high tree fork, a gray ball unfurls. Koala seeks his mother's milk, but for the first time, she won't let him into her pouch. It's time for Koala to make his own way in the world. Rival koalas, fierce storms, and frightening snakes force Koala to keep moving -- until he finds a safe place to call his own. In this dramatic nonfiction account, two renowned Australian picture-book creators bring us a surprising and authentic look at the ever-popular koala. Fascinating facts about koalas are sprinkled throughout the compelling story.
In a high tree fork, a gray ball unfurls. Koala seeks his mother's milk, but for the first time, she won't let him into her pouch. It's time for Koala to make his own way in the world. Rival koalas, fierce storms, and frightening snakes force Koala to keep moving -- until he finds a safe place to call his own. In this dramatic nonfiction account, two renowned Australian picture-book creators bring us a surprising and authentic look at the ever-popular koala. Fascinating facts about koalas are sprinkled throughout the compelling story.
32 pages, Paperback
Published September 10, 2019
48 people want to read
About the author
Claire Saxby
74 books29 followersAn Australian writer of fiction, non fiction and poetry for children
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 24, 2017
Cute. But the "captions" actually disrupted the flow of the book for me. I would have rather seen that info included at the end, much like Steve Jenkins' books.
December 17, 2024
I learned some interesting facts about the koala, including that once its mother is pregnant again, the baby koala is on his own, unlike the kangaroo.
February 25, 2018
Saxby, Claire Koala Illustrated by Julie Vivas PICTURE BOOK Candlewick Press, 2017. $16.99 Content: G.
This is the story about what a koala does after his mom is done raising him. He has to move to his own tree and find his own place to eat and live. Throughout the story the lives of koalas are explained as well as what they eat.
Although I think this is supposed to be the story of one Koala, it felt broken up with all the facts throughout. There is also a page spread that shows a koala at the top of a tree and humans are using ropes to try to get to him, but there is no explanation in the text as to what is going on. There are interesting facts, but the illustrations aren’t great. My son and I love koalas, but I was disappointed in this book.
EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018/...
This is the story about what a koala does after his mom is done raising him. He has to move to his own tree and find his own place to eat and live. Throughout the story the lives of koalas are explained as well as what they eat.
Although I think this is supposed to be the story of one Koala, it felt broken up with all the facts throughout. There is also a page spread that shows a koala at the top of a tree and humans are using ropes to try to get to him, but there is no explanation in the text as to what is going on. There are interesting facts, but the illustrations aren’t great. My son and I love koalas, but I was disappointed in this book.
EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018/...
March 20, 2019
Koala is a book about koalas and what they eat and how they live. It is a nonfiction informational picture book. Because it is informational, it covers some sort of sad parts of koalas being raised by their mothers like when the mother starts cuddling the baby.
I wasn't the biggest fan of this book because it was very slow and blunt. I think informational books can also be interesting, but this book failed to achieve that.
I'd like to have books like this available in my classroom for when children want to learn about specific animals, but I do not think I'd read it for the class, since it would not be very easy to sit through. If a teacher of older classes was to use it in teaching upper elementary kids about biology and zoology, it could work well.
I wasn't the biggest fan of this book because it was very slow and blunt. I think informational books can also be interesting, but this book failed to achieve that.
I'd like to have books like this available in my classroom for when children want to learn about specific animals, but I do not think I'd read it for the class, since it would not be very easy to sit through. If a teacher of older classes was to use it in teaching upper elementary kids about biology and zoology, it could work well.
April 1, 2018
'Climb, little Koala, it's time to find your own way.'
Claire Saxby's beautifully written 'Koala combines a lyrical narrative with a factual account of the koala's life cycle and Julie Vivas' evocative watercolour illustrations. This is a wonderful addition to Walker's Nature Storybook series.
Little koala has grown and now he must leave his mother and find his own way in the world. With a gentle push, he climbs away to find his next meal. He faces many dangers, a thundering male koala challenges him and pushes him off his tree and wild storms. Eucalyptus trees with burnt bark from a bushfire prove hard to climb and he must travel further away to find a new home. Scared by a poisonous snake hiding in the bushes he hops hurriedly away. Eventually he finds a perfect place for his new home.
Julie Vivas uses her soft watercolours in natural tones to bring little Koala's story to life. Her paintings capture the natural bush settings and brilliantly portray little Koala's actions, movements and character. The black of night contrasts with the koala's grey spiky fur as he wakes from his sleep-curl to a thundering male koala's roar. There is the desolate landscape of blackened trees and the charred bark falling as he attempts to climb up.
Saxby's expressive phrases are perfect to read aloud, she captures his journey poetically; 'koala startles from his sleep-curl' and 'he listens to the ground-sounds'. She urges him on to find his new environment with small exhortations, 'climb, little Koala,' move on, little Koala,' and 'faster, little Koala, faster.' The informational text is accurate and sparks interest, suitable for a wider range of ages and reading abilities.
Claire Saxby's beautifully written 'Koala combines a lyrical narrative with a factual account of the koala's life cycle and Julie Vivas' evocative watercolour illustrations. This is a wonderful addition to Walker's Nature Storybook series.
Little koala has grown and now he must leave his mother and find his own way in the world. With a gentle push, he climbs away to find his next meal. He faces many dangers, a thundering male koala challenges him and pushes him off his tree and wild storms. Eucalyptus trees with burnt bark from a bushfire prove hard to climb and he must travel further away to find a new home. Scared by a poisonous snake hiding in the bushes he hops hurriedly away. Eventually he finds a perfect place for his new home.
Julie Vivas uses her soft watercolours in natural tones to bring little Koala's story to life. Her paintings capture the natural bush settings and brilliantly portray little Koala's actions, movements and character. The black of night contrasts with the koala's grey spiky fur as he wakes from his sleep-curl to a thundering male koala's roar. There is the desolate landscape of blackened trees and the charred bark falling as he attempts to climb up.
Saxby's expressive phrases are perfect to read aloud, she captures his journey poetically; 'koala startles from his sleep-curl' and 'he listens to the ground-sounds'. She urges him on to find his new environment with small exhortations, 'climb, little Koala,' move on, little Koala,' and 'faster, little Koala, faster.' The informational text is accurate and sparks interest, suitable for a wider range of ages and reading abilities.
February 6, 2019
This non-fiction picture book is all about the lives of Koalas. It begins with the Koala's first time not being able to suckle his mother. It is time for him to find his own way. He is taken from his home, and moves further and further away from his mother. He finds a good tree, high above the ground and he eats the eucalypts until he is full. He has found a place where he can finally stay. I liked this book because it gave scientific facts about the lives of koalas in every stage of their lives. The book still had a good story line, but it definitely teaches new information on the lives of koalas. I would use this in my classroom with a unit on animals. I would have each child pick from a list of animals to study, and the person that selected the koala could use this book to learn this information. I could also use it as a classroom read during a science lesson about wildlife. This book could be useful in many ways.
November 25, 2023
Used this, along with some of Claire Saxby's other Nature Storybooks, Emu & Great White Shark, to get Stage 2 students thinking about fiction & non-fiction texts, how to research/categorise information, and ultimately to try writing their own Nature Story.
This is a quick story, with a surprising amount of information contained within. The Nature Storybooks are a good way to get younger students connecting with non-fiction texts.
This is a quick story, with a surprising amount of information contained within. The Nature Storybooks are a good way to get younger students connecting with non-fiction texts.
December 29, 2019
For me, Julie Vivas will forever be associated with only one book, Possum Magic, and her koalas didn't really do it for me. I've also recently started volunteering with an organisation that looks after the koala population in the You Yangs, doing frequent conservation work and nature works, and I've learnt more from my time with them than from this text, which was surprisingly light on detail compared to Emu and Dingo.
November 3, 2022
The illustrations are nice (except the one random one that has humans climbing the tree the koala is in with ropes but there's no story line or explanation of what's happening). The story is fine, but the informational inserts really messed with the flow. It would have been far better to just tell the story then have a big spread or two at the end of the book with all the nonfiction information. This book is worth buying for my library, but I won't be using it in story time!
August 26, 2017
This cute new read aloud follows the routine of a young male koala. Filled with important facts for young readers, this would be great for classrooms or for parents just wanting to share with their kids.
August 8, 2017
Focus on koalas when they leave their mother. I was surprised at how quickly they must adapt to life on their own! Young readers will enjoy the blend of narrative text and expository facts.
August 21, 2017
An informative and attractively illustrated introduction to this appealing Australian critter.
August 23, 2017
A beautiful nonfiction read about koalas and how they live. Children and adults alike will enjoy the beautiful illustrations and educational (and engaging!) text.
September 25, 2017
Cute informative book
May 6, 2018
Nice, simple informative text offered in a narrative style with supporting factual statements. Beautifully illustrated, providing a deeper visual element to explore. Absolutely fantastic!
January 21, 2022
Very cute book for little koala lovers looking to learn a little about koalas 🐨
July 21, 2023
Dang! For an animal who sleeps 18 hours per day and only eats particular leaves, life can be rough for 🐨 koalas! Read to find out more!!
October 28, 2018
Picture Book, Non Fiction, Animals
Summary-
The story follows a Koala as he goes out into the world for the first time without his mother. It also includes facts and information about the animal for the reader to gain knowledge.
Personal Response-
I enjoy that there is a storyline and also facts about the animal. This gives the reader a more interesting way to interact with the text and learn more information. I personally love Koalas so that made it an even more fun read for me.
Illustrations-
The illustrations for this book were done in watercolor. I liked how well the pictures depicted the location and different times of the day.
Classroom Connections-
Students could use the story of the Koala and relate it to pets that they have at home. They can write out the life cycle and experiences of different animals to compare and contrast how they live. Younger students could also incorporate math by just counting how many Koalas or other animals there are on each page.
Summary-
The story follows a Koala as he goes out into the world for the first time without his mother. It also includes facts and information about the animal for the reader to gain knowledge.
Personal Response-
I enjoy that there is a storyline and also facts about the animal. This gives the reader a more interesting way to interact with the text and learn more information. I personally love Koalas so that made it an even more fun read for me.
Illustrations-
The illustrations for this book were done in watercolor. I liked how well the pictures depicted the location and different times of the day.
Classroom Connections-
Students could use the story of the Koala and relate it to pets that they have at home. They can write out the life cycle and experiences of different animals to compare and contrast how they live. Younger students could also incorporate math by just counting how many Koalas or other animals there are on each page.
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April 20, 2017My review of this book will be shown on readingtime.com.au
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews