Do you know a better dad than the emu? A cleverer parent than the rakali? Would you be a braver mum than the quokka? Or maybe mouthier than the mouth almighty fish?!  

Discover all of this and learn how to be a great science writer and illustrator. You will learn how to improve your research and writing skills and create drawings that show Australian animals’ fantastic features and peculiar parenting styles. 

In this live session you will hear from award winning picture book author, Dr Stephanie Owen Reeder about the peculiar and fascinating animal parents she has researched for ‘Peculiar Parents’. We will read some of this book together to learn all about Australian animal features, habitat and how they care for their offspring.   

Artist Ingrid Bartkowiak will share her process for creating detailed animal drawings and share some tips for drawing with accuracy. You will also participate in an interactive drawing activity to accurately observe and illustrate animals and their key features.  

The content for this session is aligned with the Australian Curriculum for Years 3-6 Science and English.  

Teachers Notes for Peculiar Parents are available here: Peculiar Parents | National Library of Australia (NLA) 

This session will be streamed live from the National Library of Australia. Students can ask questions and share their ideas via the Q&A function.  

Peculiar, Caring and Creative: Discover the wonderful world of Australian animals will be recorded and made available after the session to those who have registered.