Title: Bird Park
Author: Julie Murphy, illustrated by Annie White
Genre: Non-fiction animals
Publisher: NLA Publishing
Published: 1st November 2026
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Price: $24.99
Synopsis: Birds paddle and skedaddle.
They hop and drop and coo and woo.
See them walking! Hear them squawking!
Come and explore our magical Australian bird park! Can you spot all 61 bird species?
Imagine your local park and all the birds you can see there: galahs, magpies, cockatoos. In Bird Park you’ll be welcomed into a magical place that all Australian birds call home.
With over 60 different species of birds from the familiar pigeon to the unusual comb-crested jacana, this story takes readers on a stroll through a very miraculous park. Young children will be delighted by the lilting rhythm of Julie Murphy’s text, along with the colourful illustrations from Annie White, whether they are already bird-lovers or only just beginning to learn about the beauty of Australia’s birds.
Education back-matter will include information about some of the various birds seen throughout the book as well as images found in the National Library of Australia’s pictures collections.
~*~
Australia is known for its birds. Galahs, magpies, rainbow lorikeets, cockatoos and many more. Some of them fly across the sky, some of them strut across the land, and they all live in different types of trees and areas around Australia. They come in all shapes, sizes and colours, and they are what make our skies magical.
Much like Julie and Annie’s previous book, Dog Beach, Bird Park highlights the different birds that populate Australia, its trees and bushy environs. The book celebrates them, and the different things they did, whether they are noisy or quiet, or active at different times of the day. What makes this book even more fun is the end matter that shows the different birds and encourages children to see if they can identify them and find them throughout the rest of the book. It’s short, but packs a punch.
Much like Dog Beach, it does go through the birds in the Bird Park koi each spread. Each bird is shown doing what it is known for, whether it is sleeping in the day, singing loudly or strutting across the ground. 60 different bird species are shown throughout the book, some familiar and some not so familiar. This gives readers a chance to learn about them here and then go away and find out more about these birds. It’s a great way to start teaching kids to identify birds, and where the live.
It’s another great book from the National Library of Australia that celebrates learning, education, and Australian native wildlife and the bush, forests or waterways they can all be found in around the country. I think this books are a lot of fun, and can be read on many different levels, and has many applications in education.
Another great book from NLA Publishing.
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