The wild life: A little bit lost by Laura and Philip Bunting

The third in the series, The Wild Life by the Buntings, shows the Australian animals met in the first two books presented again with a new adventure. The three books are a series aimed at those who have some experience at reading chapter books, and still like the pictures presented in a picture book. Roo and Wombat are tested when they find three lost chicks. Roo wakes one morning with three babies in her pouch. She looks closely at them, wondering where they are from. They are unlike babies that she has known, so Roo, Quokka and Wombat take the three chicks and go off to find their parents.

Readers will learn what the offspring of various Australian animals look like, as Roo, Quokka and Wombat take the chicks to every animal they can find. They find a frog, an owl, a centipede, a crocodile, amongst others comparing the traits of each to see whether the chicks have found their parents. All to no avail.

Readers will love calling out that the animal to compare with the chicks is not right and give ideas about what parent to look for.

The trio check out the chicks’ traits, fast runner, easily camouflaged, and an amazing kick, but no animal comes to mind that these traits fit. At one stage they lose the chicks and find them wrapped in the coils of a python, defiantly not the parent.

Kids will be laughing out loud at the trials the animals go to find the chicks’ parents, and at the eventual animal that is obviously related to the chicks.

Philip Bunting’s illustrations reflect the text beautifully, giving the readers wonderful animals to watch and recognise. The looks on their faces will tell the readers lots about their concerns about the chicks and enjoy the way the whole story is wrapped up.

Find out more about the Buntings and the reasons for putting this series together here. Teacher's notes are available.

Themes: Australia animals, Babies, Humour.

Fran Knight