Working Title Press. Australian, Picture Book. Hardcover RRP $24.95
Reviewer - Sandy Fussell
Warambi is a little bent-wing bat, born into the safety of
the nursery cave, surrounded by a colony of family and friends. Her life is
comfortable. She grows fur, learns to fly and hunts for moths and beetles with
her mother.
One day, a terrible thing happens. “Sunlight and metal burst into the darkness. The pups and their
mothers squeaked in terror, whirring and wheeling about.” In the confusion,
Warambi is separated from the colony.
Alone and lost, she finds shelter but the strange noises
around her new home are frightening. She feels unsafe. Then gentle human hands
find her and release her into the night in a place where she can hear the sound
of other bats. Warambi finds a new family.
Andrew Plant’s illustrations are a wonderful exploration of
colour. The world is blue when Warambi learns to drink water. Inside the
colony’s cave is a warm brown environment. The forest is bright green and the
night is dark.
This is a story which provides a number of discussion points
for early readers – the life cycle of the bat, environmental threats and the
need to belong and feel safe. Information about miniopterus australis, the
bent-wing bat, is contained inside the front and back cover.
The Reading Stack reviewed Puggle's Problem by Aleesah Darlison in November 2010.
