Edward the emu by Sheena Knowles. Illus. by Rod Clement

Edward is sick of being an emu. He wants to try other things. And so he does, but eventually realises that things are often better on his own side of the fence, particularly when he can share his enclosure with another emu.

His encounters with other animals in the zoo will create lots of laughter from the audience as they have the verses read to them. Predicting the rhyming words will add another layer of interest for the readers, and the other animals Edward tries to emulate will cause lots of comparisons and discussions amongst the younger readers. 

Edward swims with the seals, balances a ball on his nose, basks in the sun and stretches for a fish. But he overhears a visitor saying that the lions are the best. So the next day he growls with the lions, snarling at the ladies watching on.

But again a visitor says the lions are good but not as good as the snakes, so next day, Edward joins the snakes. So he changes cages again. He hisses with the snakes, slipping over the rocks and curling himself round a tree, and still a visitor says that these are not as good to see as the emu. Edward pulls up short, ‘that’s me’, he says and decides to return to his own cage on the morrow. There he finds a surprise in store, one that makes his life more content.

Thirty five years since Edward the emu was first published, this new edition will be well received from both those familiar with the story and for a new generation seeing it for the first time. It will resonate with whatever audience picks it up. There are so many levels of interest: a story of envy, of trying to be what you are not, of bravery, of friendship.

And the illustrations are spectacular; Edward is the most human of emus, the expressions on his face and his body language tell of characteristics children will recognise. Children will love looking at the other zoo animals, checking out the detail with which they have been drawn. Each page is a delight, pointing out the differences between Edward and the animals he moves in with. I love the long suffering look on the lion’s face and the surprise on the snake's face, and the parallel images of the animals as Edward copies their behaviour are wonderful, while the two emus facing each other off a the end of the picture book is delightful.

Themes: Emus, Envy, Zoos, Zoo animals.

Fran Knight