Silver leaves by Gladys Milroy

This is a simple tale told in the style of a Dreaming story, with the bird community lamenting the loss of their environment due to logging.  The interplay of species who try to work together to remedy habitat loss has a melancholic feel. Is there hope for the future? The goanna’s silver tears may provide a mysterious solution in an unimagined way.

The presentation of this hardcover story has an appealing quality. Illustrated in black and white (highlighting the difference between nocturnal and diurnal birds), the illustrations are naively simple but presented with stark clarity. The story is told in distinct chapters, but the length of this story is more akin to a standard picture book rather than an easy chapter book. This innocent reflection about habitat loss would be a good addition to a library keen to see Aboriginal storytelling represented in their collection.

Themes: Environment, Aboriginal storytelling, Birds.

Carolyn Hull