Bush Turkey by Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh

Title: Bush Turkey

Author: Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Scholastic Australia

Published: 1^st July 2023

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 24

Price: $18.99

Synopsis: He’s an unusual fellow, really quite quirky. He has many names, but let’s call him … Bush Turkey! His bald head is red, he’s impeccably dressed. And right now he’s building the world’s best-ever nest! With timber and sticks slapped together with plaster … will Bush Turkey’s nest be a hit? Or a wonky disaster?!

~*~

Bush Turkey is trying to build a nest – but he doesn’t have enough materials. When he sees people building a house across the street, he decides to borrow cement and timber, and anything else he needs. Yet as Bush Turkey gathers everything he needs, will he manage to build his nest? Or will disaster strike and ensure Bush Turkey doesn’t get his best nest ever built for the eggs he needs to take care of?

In true Kate and Jol Temple style Bush Turkey takes a bird that some see as destructive and gives it a voice, much like they have done with the Bin Chicken series. I quite enjoy the Bin Chicken series, and when Bush Turkey made an appearance in the Christmas book, I wondered if Bush Turkey would get his own book, and he has.

Much like the Bin Chicken books, the story is told in humorous rhyme alongside Ronojoy Ghosh’s bright and funny illustrations. The chaos of the words and the images will have readers laughing as they hear about Bush Turkey’s antics in the construction site with cement and tools – the poor dog at the construction site! Bush Turkey knows how to make sure others get caught, which younger readers will find amusing. The funny aspects of the story are there to entertain, but also illustrate how birds have adjusted to a more urban world, and why we see the Bush Turkey as a pest or as annoying – especially when they dig everything up to make a nest for their eggs.

For younger readers, this is going to be an entertaining story, and for older readers, it can be a useful tool to talk about the role of urbanisation and shrinking natural habitats. There are many ways to read this book – such as agreeing with the dog that the Bush Turkey is annoying and gets in the way – but in the end, it shows that life for everyone can be a bit unpredictable and chaotic. It is a book for all ages, because it has something for everyone, like the Bin Chicken books. All picture books are good books for all ages – I don’t believe that there is an age limit on picture books. I’ve read some wonderful ones and I often enjoy the lighter ones after reading some more in-depth books, as books like Bush Turkey are fun and an enjoyable celebration of something that is uniquely Australian. And I am loving all these very Australian books as they delight and take in everything that makes our country what it is today.