2nd November World Numbat Day

On the first Saturday in November it is  World Numbat Day, a day to show our appreciation for this amazing mammal. It's also a day to encourage action to help conserve these endangered animals. I know it's not the 2nd of November, but I thought I'd written before about Numbat Day so didn't do it on the 2nd and now I realise I haven't and there are some books to explore.

What's a numbat? The Numbat, also called the banded anteater, is a small endangered marsupial animal native to parts of Australia. They are one of the more unusual Australian marsupials because unlike most of other native species they're active during the day, are carnivorous, have an incredibly long tongue and their diet is almost exclusively termites.

Year 2 classes and I have had some very memorable teaching moments while sharing The Two-Hearted Numbat by Indigenous author illustrators, Amberlin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina. There is so much to talk about in this book and that conversation makes it easy for the students to identify the theme of the story. They love the illustrations and the glossy paper in the book too.

The Numbat by David Miller is an imaginative tale which challenges readers to wonder what would happen if animals infringed on the lives of humans. This lively picture book introduces young readers to the fragile relationship between humans and animals, as well as strong themes about respecting animal habitats and behaviours, the effect of humans encroaching on the habitats of our native animals and the place of animals in our ever-expanding built world. It too, has amazing illustrations made from paper sculptures.

Then if you look further, your library may have some of these:

So They Build - Termites

 

Over 2,000 species of termites can be found around the world. Termite colonies, which can include thousands of individuals, often live in large dirt mounds

Two books that give students a thorough insight into the lives of termites and the other animals that depend on them are Tamarra a Story of Termites on Gurindji Country.

This book by indigenous author Violet Wadrill and others is an illustrated science book that takes kids inside the life of termites through storytelling from the Gurindji People. 

Did you know there are four types of termite poo? Or that a warm paste made from termite mound is used to strengthen a Gurindji baby’s body and spirit? Or that spinifex (which termites eat) is one of the strongest plants in the world? Created as a collaboration between over 30 First Nations and non-Indigenous contributors, the story and artworks explore how termites and their mounds connect different parts of Country, from tiny Gurindji babies and their loving grandmothers, to spiky spinifex plants growing in the hot sun.

                                      and Termites on a Stick  by Michelle Coxon.         

This book by Michelle Coxon tells how young chimpanzees learn everything they need to know to survive in the wild from the adults in their group. Here, a young chimp watches its mother tear off a branch, put it in a termite hole, and pull it out covered with deliciously juicy termites. After trial and error, the young chimp savours the sweet taste of success when it licks the delectable snacks off its very own stick.

It includes facts about chimpanzees, the interior of a termite's nest, and the soldier termite, this chimp's tasty snack.

Other books about termites...not many, but look for these

There is an amazing picture of termites building in Home by Charles Hope.

Two good books about aardvarks and their love for termites are

• Awkward Aardvark  by Mwalmi and Adrienne Kennaway

• The Aardvark Who Wasn't Sure  by Jill Tomlinson