Bush Babies

Lovely poetry book describing 15 different animals of Australia. I really enjoy books by the author and illustrator, Kim Dale. Following is the poem about Sugar Gliders.

Cousins to possums
but different in type,
our bluey-grey fur
is marked with a stripe.

Other possums can climb
in the branches of trees;
we can glide through the air
with the greatest of ease.

Our home is a hollow
Where boughs overlap.
The foods we like best
are nectar and sap.

Fair Dinkum Aussie Christmas

I bought this book from a Dymock's bookstore mostly because it was 40% off, but also because it included a cd. We love it and I am sure that we will be singing the Aussie version of these traditional Christmas songs this fall. Tessa thinks the songs are a hoot and enjoys singing them over and over again while Marra loves to dance to the music. Songs included are: Deck the Shed with Bits of Wattle, We Wish you a Ripper Christmas, Good ol' Wally King and many more!

Platypus - world's strangest animal

The girls are really learning a lot about the animals of Australia. It's wonderful to be able to see the animals in real life after viewing a video or reading books. This is the story of a young German woman who goes to Tasmania to study the Platypus. She names a female Shy and follows her as she gives birth to her young. Platypus and Echidna's are the only mammals to lay eggs. Has an extra segment on the Banded Stilts which are also called the flamingoes of Australia.

Terrors of Tasmania

Great dvd that we're enjoying. We love watching any dvd on the animals of Australia. The devil is similar to the kangaroo in that it also has a pouch. The babies are born into a stream of mucous and they are about the size of a grain of rice. The mother can give birth to up to 40 babies and it's a race to see who gets the coveted 4 nipples. In the case of Manganini only 3 males make it to the nipples and after 3 months the pouch gets quite crowded.