As part of the theme 'Curious Creatures, Wild Minds' one of the displays in the library this week focussed on 'long necks'. We displayed books with animals who have long necks such as giraffes, alpacas, llamas, camels, ostriches, emus, and flamingoes together with some quiz questions to get the students talking.
Among the books was Jo Bertini's A Man and his Camel. This is a very old picture book first published in 1996, but I have never quite brought myself to the point of withdrawing it from stock. Why? Well it fits into many themes; journeys, searches, home, deserts, camels, Tibet, Silk Road and endangered species and you are never quite sure when you'll be asked for a book. I picked it up to read while one of my Year 2 classes were doing some independent silent reading. Beside the Bactrian camel (the camel with two humps) there were other animals unknown to my students such as the musk deer, red panda, desman, otter, large mouse-eared bat, great bustard, sand gazelle, fenec fox, Crespi pelican, ibex, markhor, woolly flying squirrel and a jerboa. Yes, a multitude of curious creatures!
The man travelledfrom Pakistan, across the Himalayan Mountains into Kashmir, through Tibet to China, on to Mongolia, Russia and the Volga River, on to Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, then to Israel and Egypt. From Alexandria around the Red Sea and into Saudi Arabia before going through Iraq to Iran. Next Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Samarkand, over the Kashgar Crossing, across the Pamir Mountains, down the Kunnjerab Pass and back into Pakistan. What a journey? Older students could plot this journey on a map!
The choice of vocabulary is also worth noting. There are verbs such as: gazed; puzzled; shrugged; console; caution; dally; muster; sighed; chimed; fringe; lowed; bid; chortled; and thumped. There are descriptions:
- a melancholy reindeer whose antlers hung in sorrow-filled folds
- floating on her back, leaf-like in the waves
- who is threading a trail to...
- in a whorl of winds and rufous feathers
- a querulous creature and prone to hysteria
- there across a mirage of woollen pyramids
- camel herd had gathered in conference
So much to explore and I haven't mentioned the illustrations. Jo Bertini is an Australian artist but unfortunately I cannot find any other picture books by her. If your library hasn't discarded it, have a look. It is full of curious creatures and Jo Bertini has a wild mind!
It's so important to hold onto precious books like this. I did find an art exhibition by Jo Bertini from 2014 in Cowra. A man and his camel was reviewed in Magpies Magazine in 1996 but I no longer have this edition. I love the list of curious creatures you found here and the delicious vocabulary.
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