Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker

Title: Bowerbird Blues

Author: Aura Parker

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Scholastic Australia

Published: 1^st April 2023

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Price: $26.99

Synopsis: I am a collector. Always looking, finding … and keeping! Bowerbird loves blue. Magnificent cobalt. Brilliant, vibrant blue! But something is missing. What could it be? This new picture book from Aura Parker stars a beautiful bowerbird on the search for blue! It’s a moving story of longing and connection, that unfolds as the bowerbird’s search sends him soaring across the sea, sky, and city. He swoops and snatches vibrant treasures for his collection, and soon his bower is a mix of natural and unnatural objects that attracts something greater and more fulfilling than he could ever have imagined.

~*~

The bowerbird collects blue things – any item in any shade of blue. He longs to collect the blue sea and the blue sky as well, but as he flies everywhere, seeking blue things, there is still something missing from his life – something that is not blue at all – but what could it be? As the bowerbird searches for the missing treasure, follow his journey and see if you can find the items listed at the front of the book, so it is more than a story – it’s a fun activity to do while you read, and enriches the reading experience.

Aura Parker has written and illustrated Bowerbird Blues, using traditional hand illustration and watercolours, as well as digital illustration techniques to give the story life. The magic in this is that I don’t think you can tell where the digital is – it just feels like different illustrative techniques done by hand have been used, and they go along so eloquently with the words about the bowerbird being a collector on the hunt for the greatest treasure ever – but he won’t know what it is until he sees it! This is a lovely book, gentle and calming, as the book is not only filled with gentle words, but with blues that make everything feel calmer and more at ease.

This is a book very much aimed at readers aged three and over, but I found its calming nature to be something that could help reduce anxiety for many people of all ages – and at the same time, it is a story that will have something we can all relate to. Collecting things, obsession, and searching for something special – which will be different for everyone but the feelings of wanting to do this can be very similar.

I am really loving the variety of picture books coming out these days – it seems that there is something for everyone – things that can teach us things, things that we can enjoy, and diverse stories that we can all get something out of, and beautiful stories like this about animals, or the wonderfully humorous stories that everyone seems to love as well. Whether it is the characters, the genre, the plot – anything – I feel that there really is a picture book for everyone. And a picture book for every occasion as well, every need. It is reassuring to see this happening, and as a reviewer I have read so many that I could never choose a favourite, because I would have a different favourite for different things. And for exploring the colour blue and searching for something special, I would have to say Bowerbird Blues is up there for me.