Book Week Eve Pownall Award Shortlist: I am a Magpie I am a Currawong

This book is on the shortlist for the Eve Pownall Award, which is an award for an information book, but it has minimal text so could just as easily be an Early Childhood choice. Bridget Farmer is a master illustrator of Australian birds and here she has chosen two birds that are very common in Australian backyards. They do look alike, being a similar size and both black and white, but this book allows young readers to discern differences. My young readers immediately commented on the eyes.

There's a myriad of wonderful books about Australian birds that could be used in conjunction with this book. (see this blog post for Wobbly Bike) Students can use the index of the books to see if these two birds are mentioned. Magpies will probably get more text than currawongs, but that will make it fun.  

You need a book like this to hear the difference in their calls, but online you can find their calls if you don't have this book.

Birds in Backyards website is a good place to get information on both of these birds too. The location map and the soundbite of their calls will allow for comparison too. I can see a Venn diagram being used for compare and contrast activity. The magpie page states that the magpie has one of the world's most complex bird songs. How amazing is that? The currawong page explains that the currawong got its name from its call.

The library has several stories about magpies, but I could only think of one about currawongs. Then when I checked in the catalogue there was another one.

Currawongs:

Magpies: