Kookoo Kookaburra

Winner, 2016 Australian Book Industry Awards, Reader's Choice award

Shortlisted, 2016 Australian Book Industry Awards, Small Publishers' Children's Book of the Year

Shortlisted, 2016 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards, Indigenous Children's Category

Kindness is like a boomerang if you throw it often, it comes back often.

Kookoo the Kookaburra is the second heartwarming morality tale - set within the cultural context of the Dreamtime by Queensland teacher Gregg Dreise. In the same vein as his first book Silly Birds (Magabala Books 2014) Dreise tells the story of Kookoo, a kind and well-loved kookaburra who is famous for entertaining the other bush creatures with his funny stories. Everyone knows Kookoo has a special gift because he can tell funny stories about the other animals without hurting their feelings. However, when Kookoo runs out of kind stories he turns to teasing and making fun of his friends' differences. Refusing to listen to the sage advice of his uncle, Kookoo gradually alienates all his friends until he finds himself alone and ignored by the other animals. When he finally listens to the sounds of his own laughter echoing around the bush and realises it has become an unhappy sound, Kookoo is forced to remember his uncle's words and change his ways kindness is like a boomerang if you throw it often, it comes back often.

Gregg Dreise is a gifted artist, storyteller and musician, and he features the didgeridoo and guitar in his performances at schools, libraries and festivals. He is a descendant of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi people of south-west Queensland and north-west New South Wales. He is the author and illustrator of Cunning Crow; Silly Birds; Kookoo Kookaburra; Mad Magpie and My Culture and Me. All these stories are about teaching morals. They address self-image, friendship, kindness, bullying and Indigenous culture.

Gregg is also the illustrator of the classic story Tiddalik the Frog (Pearson Publishing) and has poetry with his illustrations in the anthology A Boat of Stars; and illustrations in High 5 to the Boys and contributions towards Why I Love Australia. He has a Children s Music CD titled Sing. Dance. Walk Together.

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