Vikki Conley (text) and Max Hamilton (illustrator), Where the Lyrebird Lives, Windy Hollow Books, July 2022, 36 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780645323566
Three generations of a family set off for a bushwalk in the forest to see if they can spot a lyrebird. They cross streams and bridges, walk past waterfalls and under tree canopies and tiptoe quietly in the hope of catching sight of one. They hear several different bird calls but is it the lyrebird mimicking those birds or the different birds themselves? Sharp-eyed readers will spot the lyrebird hiding on several pages before his tail display on the last page.
The illustrations are beautiful double-page spreads of scenes in the forest. There is lots of green as befits the setting, with colour provided by the family’s clothing and the occasional flash from a lorikeet. The endpapers are littered with lyrebird feathers. It is also pleasing to see the depiction of youthful, active grandparents!
This is a gentle story with brief but well-written text celebrating our forests and the birdlife that lives within them. For young readers unfamiliar with our iconic lyrebirds, this picture book provides an attractive introduction.
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage
