Kookoo Kookaburra - Gregg Dreise

Kookoo Kookaburra
by Gregg Dreise

Published by Magabala Books - May 2015 - Hardcover - 32pp - 22cm x 29cm

Age range 6 to 9

Kookoo is a kind and well-loved kookaburra who is famous for entertaining the other bush creatures with his funny stories. One day Kookoo runs out of kind stories to tell, and he turns to teasing and making fun of the other animals. Refusing to listen to the sage advice of his uncle, Kookoo finds himself alone and ignored by his friends. When he listens to the sound of his own laughter, it is an unhappy sound. Finally he remembers his uncle's words "Kindness is like a boomerang - if you throw it often, it comes back often..."

Gregg Dreise is a gifted artist, storyteller and musician, and he features the didgeridoo and guitar in his performances at schools, libraries and festivals. He is a descendant of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi people of south-west Queensland and north-west New South Wales. He is the author and illustrator of Awesome Emu; Cunning Crow; Kookoo Kookaburra; Mad Magpie; and Silly Birds. All these stories are about teaching morals. They address self-image, friendship, kindness, bullying and Indigenous culture.