Outback Pets: a fun 'real people' book that may lead to a request for a pet crocodile!

As you can see, this is a fun, beautifully illustrated book. Great for ages 2 to 8 years. Which makes it perfect for Ivy and Angus.

They’re both pet-obsessed. We have a dog, but there is always another pet we should get. So far this year the list has included a horse, lamb, little dog with a curly tail, guinea pig, rabbit, hamster, pig and a big dog that can be friends with our dog… but NOT a snake! Thankfully.

In all this discussion and dreaming of pets, ‘Outback Pets’ by Therese Hall and Geoff Cook has become an all-round favourite in our house (it’s their dad Alec’s favourite because it’s the only book we’ve found with his name as one of the protagonists). This is a book, as you would assume, about people living in outback Australia and their pets.

‘There’s plenty of room in Australia’s outback for all kinds of pets…

Some are big,
some are small,
some have feathers,
some have scales,
and most have tails.

Come on a trip around Australia and meet the outback’s amazing pets and their devoted owners.’

Each page is a simple introduction to a person, place and pet accompanied by a fun portrait style illustration. Some of our favourites are Justine from Alice Springs and his goanna Pete, Chris from Darwin and his crocodile Stampy, and Don from Orroroo and his camel Carbine.

 ‘All of the pets and their owners in this book are real. We met them in outback Australia, where they live far from the big cities, in all kinds of landscapes—from the desert to the tropics. If you go to outback Australia, you might meet them, too.’

There are short bio’s for each owner in the back that give nice insights into lives all over Australia. Learning about others helps expand kids’ understanding of the world and broaden their concept of society and our place in it and I particularly like this book because it raises the possibility and excitement that they actually could meet someone from a book!

Published in 2015 by RM Williams Publishing, it’s sadly not in print just now. Well worth the search at specialist book shops though and will very likely be in the library.

Names in this book – Patrick, Justin, Kev, Chris, Mandy, Matt, Tara, Nick, Talia, Don, Poppy, Scarlett, Paris, Athol, Alec, Geoff.