Who knew? National Bison Month takes place every July, dedicating an entire month to celebrating the majestic American bison. This observance highlights their historical significance, ecological importance, and ongoing conservation efforts.
It's probably not something we will celebrate here in Australia, despite the fact that there are bison in Australia, as we are on school holidays. Bison are not native to Australia, but there are estimated to be around 350 to 500 American Bison in total here. They exist exclusively in captivity on specialised private farms (raised for meat, dairy, and hides) and in a few select zoos.
In the last order of books, we received The Bison and the Butterfly by Alice Hemming.
This lovely book is a touching ecosystem story about friends in nature and the nature of friendship. Produced in collaboration with Kent Wildlife Trust's bison rewilding project, this is the heartwarming story of Bison and her forest friends. Bison feels very sad and lonely. She's big and hairy, and sometimes a bit clumsy... and she doesn't know why anybody would want to be her friend. But wise woodpecker knows that everybody likes different things, and that the other animals probably feel a lot differently than she imagines. Soon enough, as Bison eats her breakfast, has her bath and does her - ahem - business, she meets many different creatures who love her exactly because of her big, shaggy ways. As well as celebrating these differences, this enchantingly illustrated book explains to children, in terms that they can relate to, how the different animals within an ecosystem work in harmony and benefit one another, and the power of rewilding to shape these relationships. The book includes a section explaining the science behind rewilding, and shows that, no matter who we are and what we like, we are all worthy of friendship and have a part to play... whether that's in our ecosystem or personal community!
While you're at the library look for Blue Bison Needs a Haircut by Scott Rothman & Pete Oswald. It will make you smile. Blue Bison prides himself on always looking clean and neat. But he has a growing problem--his hair. With the barber shops and just about everywhere else closed, all Blue Bison can do is ram his ramming rock in frustration. Meanwhile, his hair keeps growing. His dad, Brown Bison, encourages him to be patient and wait, and his mom, Burgundy Bison, tries to explain that sometimes you want something that you really don't need. But all Blue Bison can do is whine and wallow. Could little sister Bubblegum Bison have the solution?
