Bill Baillie: The life and adventures of a pet bilby by Ellis Rowan
National Library of Australia, 2018. ISBN 9780642279200
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Tabitha held out her hands for the baby
creature with the large ears and the long hind legs. He was a bilby
and Tabitha named him Bill Baillie. From this moment, they were
together - forever.
Tabitha liked to go to interesting places to paint pictures of
wildflowers, and Bill Baillie always went with her. Bill's life was
full of adventures - he escaped and got lost, he travelled on
wagons, trains and ships, he was threatened by a cat and chased by
dogs, and he became wedged upside down inside a jug.
But, no matter who he met and what dangers he faced, 'His Highness
Master Bill Baillie' always found his way back to Tabitha.
I found this book a great read. The book is presented with a mix of
text and illustrations and is a great insight into the early times
of Australia. It clearly shows the strong relationships that can be
formed between animal and human. This book was originally written in
1908. You can not help but like the mischievous Bill and the trouble
that he gets himself into and his innate ability to always find his
way back to Tabitha. It also provides an insight into the plight of
the bilby and the challenges it faced as civilisation and introduced
species encroached on its habitat. I found the added information at
the back of the book informative and welcome addition to the book to
educate people about the plight of the bilby.
It is a book for children aged 8 and up and for those that love
animals, a great read.
Kathryn Schumacher