Cirrus@Austlit

'Jim and his family live happily on their remote outback station. Yet, sometimes Jim feels lonely. Then a strange new radio with pedals arrives and Jim's Mum and Dad can send messages to their neighbours. Jim wants to have a go! "When you're older," says Dad. Then something happens that only Jim can deal with. Will he learn how to use the radio in time to save Dad?

'Radio Rescue! is a beautifully illustrated flap book that takes us back to the origins of communication in the outback, with fascinating factual information at the back of the book.' (Publisher's abstract)

'Step into Robert Ingpen's magical world with this book of wonderful images that have made Robert a worldwide household name for children's illustration.

'Here you will find his own autobiographical tales, illustrator's notes, original sketches and illustrations from his award-winning publications. Robert leads us on his journeys into the wondrous landscapes of the classics he has so famously illustrated (Neverland, the Riverbank, Oz and Alice's Wonderland) as well as into the magical landscapes of his own imagination and the more real but no less magical scenery of his own beloved Australia, and reveals the places, stories and people that inspired him along the way.

'Robert's astonishing creative vision has breathed life into more than one hundred books and delighted countless children around the world throughout his remarkable career as an illustrator. Wonderlands is a fitting celebration of Robert Ingpen's work as a master illustrator and storyteller.' (Publication summary)

'The Tea and Sugar train only came once a week on a Thursday. But the special Christmas train only came once a year. Today was Sunday. Four more days without sugar. Four more days until the Christmas train. Please, please be on time. Please don't be late. Join Kathleen in the outback as she eagerly awaits the Christmas Tea and Sugar train. Will she meet Father Christmas? Will she receive a Christmas gift from him? A delightful, heart-warming story from the National Library of Australia that will intrigue, captivate and introduce readers to a slice of the past. Wonderful sensitive illustrations, including a beautiful double fold-out image showing the shops inside all the carriages.

'For 81 years, from 1915 to 1996, the Tea and Sugar Train travelled from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie once a week. It serviced the settlements along the Nullarbor Plain, a 1050-long rail link. It was a lifeline. There were no shops or services in these settlements. The train carried everything they needed: household goods, groceries, fruit and vegetables, a butcher's van, banking facilities and at one time even a theatrette car for showing films.The biggest excitement for the children was the first Thursday of December every year, when Father Christmas travelled the line. He distributed gifts to all the children on the way, including those of railway workers, those in isolated communities, and station kids.' (Publication summary)

'In 1889 the revered Australian folk poet, A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson, first published his ballad, Clancy of the Overflow. The verse achieved immediate popularity and, with the creation of his legendary character, Clancy — a free-spirited stockman — Paterson had summed up the essence of the Australian outback.

'To mark the 150th birthday of Banjo Paterson, award-winning illustrator Robert Ingpen has journeyed into the Australian outback, exploring the myth of Clancy through words and illustrations, to find what it is that has made Clancy such an enduring figure in Australian folklore.' (Publication summary)

'The bird hung in the air above the river. It was so low that Luke could see it clearly, a big nuggety bird with strong talons and curving beak. Its feathers were beautiful, a lovely chestnut colour on the back and sides and bright white on the head and breast.

'That was the first time Luke had ever seen a Brahminy kite, or sea eagle. He didn't know then that another Brahminy, a helpless, abandoned chick, would soon change his life.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (2013 ed.)

Mitch Bird, the son of a wildlife ranger, lives in the Coorong. He rears a wild swan which becomes his constant companion and ultimately helps save his life.

When Mitch discovers an abandoned swan's egg and takes it home, his park ranger father doesn't approve. But this proves to be the start of a heartwarming friendship.

'When Danny finds an emu egg in the bush outside town and is determined to hatch it, his problems begin. It seems that Hacker, the school bully, has other ideas, and when he releases a hungry goanna and steals the egg at the school pet show, Danny has to move fast!'

Source: Publisher's blurb (2013 ed.).

'Speedy is the fastest, cleverest dolphin ever to swim the waters around Kangaroo Island. To ten-year-old Mike and his fisherman father Ben, he is also a very special friend, always there to meet their boat and lead her home into the harbour. Speedy soon becomes a tourist attraction in their small fishing town. But not everyone loves him as much as Ben and his friend Sally, and one day they realise that the friendly dolphin is in deadly danger.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (2013 ed.).

'The Hammerhead Light was a tower of stone. Sometimes it stood gleaming in the sunlight on the high headland of Hammerhead Rock, like a great white monument, sometimes it loomed out of the black storm clouds. To Tessa Noble and the people of Snapper Bay, the Hammerhead Light was more than a lighthouse, but a symbol of safety.'

Source: Colin Thiele Classics ed.