Reading Down Under

What country holds the title as the world's smallest continent and yet the world's largest island? I stands for island, but one that's not too small. Our island is enormous. Just try to see it all! There's no place else quite like it; that is clearly true. Australia is a continent, but it's an island, too. Originally founded as a penal colony, Australia has long been known for its contrasts (think: wild outback and sophisticated Sydney Opera House). Accompanied by vibrant colorful artwork, D is for Down Under: An Australia Alphabet captures the spirit of this proud country and its many treasures, natural and man-made. Visit spectacular Sydney Harbor, try your hand as a jackaroo working a sheep station, or just sit back and enjoy a Vegemite sandwich. Below the starry night glitter of the Southern Cross constellation, Australia's "down under" wonders shine brightly. Devin Scillian is an award-winning author and Emmy-award-winning broadcast journalist. His books with Sleeping Bear Press include the national bestseller A is for America: An American Alphabet. Devin lives in Michigan and anchors the news for WDIV-TV in Detroit. Geoff Cook has been illustrating for 35 years. His career began as a graphic designer, after graduating from Prahran College in Melbourne. Soon realizing he wanted to be an illustrator, he became a partner in the illustration studio All Australian Graffiti. He lives in Australia.

The Englishness of English literature had been expressed in Chaucer, Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Sir Walter Scott, those writers whose works seemed best to embody the spirit of the place or the spirit of its folk. In what writers or works would the Australianness of Australian literature be discovered? (David Carter 1997)--------This first literary Reader on Australian studies from India not only investigates this central question but explores many other facets of Australian literature and especially Australian cross-cultural relationships with India and Asia. Taking a broad view of what Australian literature is, this Reader explores the dimensions of Australian literature (national, Aboriginal, multicultural, ecocritical, postcolonial, modernist, comparative, feminist, and popular) in its varied genres of drama, poetry, autobiography, explorers' journals, short stories, literature of war, travel writing, Anglo-Indian fiction, diasporic writing, mainstream novel, nature writing, children's literature, romance, science fiction, gothic literature, horror, crime fiction, queer writing, and humour. Each paper in this Reader presents different ways of "reading down under" and "performing Australianness." Juxtaposing the varied critical perspectives of nearly 60 critics this Reader hopes to create a constructive dialogue in the fight against the dominance of an Anglo-American academic approach.

Kira helps out at an animal sanctuary in Australia.

Crikey! Someone just farted!It's HUGE. It's smelly. But who did it?Not Wombat, Emu or Kangaroo.Tiny Numbat knows, but NOBODY is listening!

There’s lots of fun to be had up on the beach pier, but it’s down underneath where the true—and totally free—magic happens There’s lots of fun to be had up on the pier—the Ferris wheel, the rollercoaster, Skee-Ball and Whac-A-Mole, cotton candy, copper coins, the carousel. But it’s down under the pier, at low tide, where the real magic can be found. The best part? It’s free. Nell Beckerman’s poetic text and deep love of the intertidal zone, and Rachell Sumpter’s dreamy, “endless summer” art make this the perfect beach book.

A Dingo Ate My Math Book presents ingenious, unusual, and beautiful nuggets of mathematics with a distinctly Australian flavor. It focuses, for example, on Australians' love of sports and gambling, and on Melbourne's iconic, mathematically inspired architecture. Written in a playful and humorous style, the book offers mathematical entertainment as well as a glimpse of Australian culture for the mathematically curious of all ages. This collection of engaging stories was extracted from the Maths Masters column that ran from 2007 to 2014 in Australia's Age newspaper. The maths masters in question are Burkard Polster and Marty Ross, two (immigrant) Aussie mathematicians, who each week would write about math in the news, providing a new look at old favorites, mathematical history, quirks of school mathematics—whatever took their fancy. All articles were written for a very general audience, with the intention of being as inviting as possible and assuming a minimum of mathematical background.

An American girl’s stay in Australia proves to be out of this world when she meets a mysterious Aussie named Patrick, whose wild imagination takes them both on incredible journeys.

"Examines the vanishing culture of the Tiwi tribe, aborigines who live on a small island off the coast of Australia"--Provided by publisher.

Ants march on a picnic and turn it upside down, returning with treats for friends underground. Up above, the ants are taking over a picnic. But down below is another story. Look closely and you'll find very different worlds living side by side, at a picnic, in the ocean, in the blazing desert, even inside the same two-story home. Sue Redding's bold, wonderfully detailed illustrations hide lots of fun and mischiefkeep an eye out for the red ant and green worm who have snuck into every picture!

Ted and Betsy Lewin's adventures take them from the northernmost tip of Australia to the southernmost tip. At the top, they interrupt a python's mealtime, encounter a ferocious pack of dingoes, and come face-to-face with a crocodile. Down at the bottom, they dine with rude kangaroos, meet their first platypus, and confront an ill-tempered sea lion! The vivid colors, close-up paintings, and rich landscapes rendered in the Lewins' distinct watercolor styles, combined with action-packed narrative, will make you want to pack your bags and visit the land down under!