Kirra the koala by Beverly Jatwani. Illus. by Sarah Demontererde

Ling loves cycling, but even more she loves her work at the koala sanctuary where she spends time during the school holidays. She refills water troughs, sweeps leaves, helps trim the bushes and best of all, feeds the baby koalas using a bottle. One evening on the way home her old rattly bike hits a bump in the road and buckles, sending her over the handlebars and into a soft bush by the side of the road. She takes her damaged bike home with her but they all decide it is beyond repair.

The next morning Ling receives an urgent call for help from the sanctuary. A bushfire nearby has left some kolas stranded and they are going out to rescue them. Ling is paired with Sam an older volunteer and together they find a small koala sheltering under a bush. They wrap her in the blanket and Ling aims to take her back to the sanctuary. Sam has other ideas: he wants to take the animal home as a pet. Ling is horrified, these animals are not pets, she remonstrates, it needs to be cared for by experts back at the sanctuary and there she might be reunited with her mother. Even when Sam offers her his shiny new bike, she does not alter her position. A few days later Ling sees Kirra reunited with her mother as they head back to the bush.

A story about integrity and remaining true to yourself is offered in this story of rescuing koalas, the fifth in the series, Together we can change the world.

A page of information about koala is given at the end of the book, alongside images of the others in the series. Teacher's notes are available.

Themes: Integrity, Koalas, Bushfires, Rescue, Sanctuary.

Fran Knight