In a uniquely Australian setting and within vivid scenes of the wild natural environment, young Alice Dorrit’s story emerges.
The prose is accompanied and enhanced by the stunning woodcut illustrations of the gifted Julian Laffan.
Alice never feels alone although she is an only
child. She is comfortable living with her artist parents in the isolated woods
she so loves and knows like the back of her hand.
This treasured area is
populated by a creative community that survives on their modest produce, the
selling of their handcrafts and art, and through the exchange of goods at their
local marketplace. The Dorrit’s closest neighbours are the Browns at the end of
a track which Alice passes each day on her long walk to school. For reasons unknown, they have kept to
themselves for some time now.
The highlight of Alice’s life is school and
learning, and the early morning visits she gets every alternate day from a male
lyrebird she has named, Birdy. He copies the sounds of the forest and any other
peculiar noise that takes his fancy.
Unknown to Alice, Birdy has a secret other life. When
Alice hears sounds and follows the track that leads to Cyril Brown’s house, a
new and lasting friendship is formed with the returned digger. Birdy’s other
life is revealed and so is the extent of his talent when Alice receives a
porcelain bell from her father for her 14th birthday.
Through the unfolding of this multi-themed story,
the habits of lyrebirds are revealed. Crew has created with words, visual images
of the simple life that people lived within the embrace of the natural world,
and the strong sense of community that existed in early Australian life.
This is a delightful story about discovery,
choices, friendship and the endless possibilities that life presents. Laced
around the joys and sorrows of leaving the place you love are the new
beginnings that go hand-in-hand with change and moving forward.
Title:
Leaving the Lyrebird Forest
Author:
Gary Crew
Illustrator:
Julian Laffan
Publisher:
Hachette, $16.99
Publication
Date: October 2018
Format:
Paperback
ISBN:
9780734418432
For
ages: 10+
Type: Middle Grade Fiction