Mountain Tails: The Lives and Loves of My Animal Neighbours

by Sharyn Munro

Sharyn Munro, author of the acclaimed The Woman on the Mountain, lives alone on her mountaintop refuge, surrounded by nothing but the Australian bush. As the only human resident, she has developed a keen interest in the lives and loves of her animal neighbours and it is their stories that she shares with us now. From quolls to kookaburras, snakes to kangaroos, frogs to koalas, Sharyn has encountered them all and has been both amused and infuriated by their behaviour. After all, how would you feel if your neighbours ate your roses, solicited for sex on your front lawn or took over your shed? So come and talk a walk in Sharyn's gumboots, and discover the humorous, intriguing and sometimes poignant world of life on the wild side.

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Catherine Kelaher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharyn Munro, the author of, Mountain Tails, lives in the Upper Hunter, NSW, Australia in a solar powered hut, far away from any human neighbours. Her home and land has become a refuge for wildlife. It is not a rescue centre, instead it is an area of the wild where the animals can just be.
How refreshing!
Over 30 years Sharyn Munro has lived surrounded by her wild animal neighbours. In this book we get to step into her gumboots and meet some of these characters. From the quoll who turns her shed into a marsupial nursery to the lonesome emu who tries to follow her home, every species get a chapter of their own. Once I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down. I was transported into this wild world where nature rules.
Along with the entertaining, observant and moving stories about her neighbouring wildlife, Munro provides beautiful illustrations of the animals throughout. This really added to my enjoyment of the book, as her drawings manage to capture the unique personalities of these animals.
There is the added joy in this book of finding out about Munro’s past. When she first moved to the mountain, she lived with her children in a tent on the land and made an outdoor shower out of a bucket and 2 billies. I couldn’t help but be drawn into this simple and sustainable world.
Munro is a vegetarian, which pleases me, as many environmentalists choose to ignore that important aspect of environmentalism. Who knows maybe she will go vegan and really show her commitment? She is passionate about Australia’s flora and fauna and she has a great deal of knowledge that she shares in an entertaining tone throughout the book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in wildlife, sustainable living and wonderful stories. Buy it and treasure it.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was unable to get past page 30 in this. The concept was very appealing to me. To enjoy this I probably should have read her earlier book first. Once the author started on supporting climate change she lost me.

[Myra Scholze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sweet and thoughtful stories about animals visiting the author's wildlife refuge home in Australia. The author's voice was so kind, compassionate, and delightfully humorous. Made me want to more out into the wild and befriend all my tail-clad neighbors!

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful and engaging novel with accompanying hand drawn illustrations. Sharyn's enthusiasm and passion for the natural world is evident in each and every chapter.

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars = Okay. I liked the book. It was worth reading.