National Bilby Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in September each year. The bilby is an Australian marsupial who is adept at burrowing and for this reason its pouch faces backwards so as to avoid filling up with dirt. They have become endangered and as their numbers have been diminished by rabbits there has been a move to have Easter bilbies instead of rabbits in Australia. While not wholly successful it has helped to raise the profile of bilbies and raise money to save them.
Bilbies seem to be fashionable as characters in children's stories at the moment. The five illustrated here are only some of them! All are worthwhile additions to a prep school library though.
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