KLASSIC KOALAS: ANCIENT ABORIGINAL TALES IN NEW RETELLING
LEE BORWOOD
ISBN: N/A
May 2007
Koala Jo Publishing
www.koalajopub.com
E-book
$5.99
64 pages
Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Myths
Rating: 3 cups

How the waters flooded the Earth

The outback was losing all of its water and so the animals decided to find out what was causing the drought. Once they learn the source of the problem, a big, greedy frog who drank all of the water, they need to figure out how to get the water back.

It is funny to watch all the different creatures trying to make him laugh while working so hard to get the water back.

The Koala Has Strong Arms

The animals are losing their food and must find a way to get to the land so that they do not starve. They decided to use a canoe but all their canoes were not big enough except for the one owned by the whale. The whale is afraid that he will lose his canoe, so keeps watch over it.

The animals have to be crafty and sneaky. This is an interesting story.

Didane and the Trees

There is no green brush anywhere in Queensland. The animals decide to have a contest to see who can throw a boomerang far enough to bring back seeds. All the warriors throw the boomerangs with no success. Finally, they call in Didane, the Koala with strong arms, hoping that he will be able to do what no one else can.

Vegetation is finally brought where it is needed. I thought this story shows the Koala in a good light.

The Koala’s Tail Ends In Drought

There is a drought, so the koala and the wallaby go in search for water. They come across animals that have died from thirst. The koala decides to play act being tired so that the wallaby does all the work and because of this deceit, ends up losing his tail.

Being fake gets us nowhere in life. I laughed aloud at the idea of what the Koala was trying to do.

The Koala’s Clinging Baby

The Koala and the bunyip are friends even though it is dangerous for them. The other animals are afraid for the little Koala, so they ask a shaman to put a spell on the baby so that it would cling to her mother’s back. Then it could not leave her home to visit her friend the bunyip.

The other animals were looking out for the koala even though she did not want them to do so. This is an interesting story of the lengths that are sometimes taken to accomplish a goal.

Koala and the song of Sunlight

The animals live together in a cave from which they go out to hunt. No matter what they do, they always come home wet. Yet, when the Koala returns, he is always dry. They follow him on more than one occasion, hoping to learn his secret, but are always caught. When the Beetle learns the secret, he is not believed.

I love the magical aspect of the song of sunlight.

The Sower of Discord and the War between the Animals

The animals get along together quite wonderfully until one man, the former chief who lived among the Aborigines, is kicked out. He figures out that he can trick the animals into a fight by training a bird to make all kinds of different animal sounds. The tiger ended up killing the mockingbird and so the birds arose against the tigers and so forth.

They really have to figure out what is going on so they can work together. It is awful what the former chief does, but he is all for his own power.

Koobar and the Great Thirst

His family left Koobar behind while they went to find food in the bush and put up the water so that he would not drink it all before they returned. Koobar felt neglected and one day they left the water down so he put it up in a tree. Horrified by what Koobar had done, his family tries to get the water back but instead attacked him.

It is sad what his family did to Koobar, but it shows how long the Koala could go without water. It is a very imaginative story.

Lee Barwood knows how to present stories in a meaningful way. I enjoyed reading them a second time around and enjoyed looking into the different cultures. This book shows all the different things a Koala can be, just like every other creature. My favorites are Didane and the Trees and Koala and the Song of Sunlight.

Krista
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
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