National Threatened Species Day: Stories to share

September 6th, 2021

National Threatened Species Day is a time to reflect on and celebrate our unique native flora and fauna. We believe that encouraging children to learn and care about these species is fundamental to protecting them into the future.

Five kids book covers on a background of real life grass. The books are Hold On, Plantastic, Bouncing Back, One Potoroo, and Phasmid — National Threatened Species Day is an opportunity to share stories with children about our unique fauna and flora.

Each year National Threatened Species Day is commemorated on 7 September – a date specifically chosen as it is the anniversary of the death of the last known Thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, in captivity.

While the sad significance of the date is an important one to reflect on, National Threatened Species Day is also an opportunity to raise awareness of Australia’s plants, animals and ecosystems currently facing threats, and recognise the passionate people working hard to conserve them.

We choose to share stories of threatened species in beautifully produced picture books for children.

A close up photo of a person's hand holding a thin paintbrush over an illustration of a Gilbert's Potoroo emerging from a cloth bag.

The Gilbert’s Potoroo is the world’s most endangered marsupial. (Illustration: Alicia Rogerson)

Am artful stack of Phasmid picture books, with a figurine of a Lord Howe Island Stick Insect standing on top.

Once thought extinct, the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect is featured in our picture book Phasmid.

Two primary-aged girls laying on their stomachs on grass reading books.

We hope our books can inspire the next generation.

A stylistic illustration of an upright tree with many leaf-covered branches and a number of brown cones hanging from various limbs.

Plants such as the Wollemi Pine featured in Plantastic! can also be threatened species. (Illustration: Rachel Gyan)

A child laying on grass reading, their face buried in the picture book 'Hold On! Saving the Spotted Handfish'.

Books are a great way to share nature with children.

Encouraging children to take an interest in our unique fauna and flora is fundamental to protecting them into the future, as it promotes a love of nature and a sense of caring and responsibility for the environment. A book that will inspire is One Potoroo: A Story of Survival written by Penny Jaye and illustrated by Alicia Rogerson. It tells the tale of the Gilbert’s Potoroo, the world’s most endangered marsupial, and is inspired by real life events of rescuing a potoroo after bushfire destroys its home.

A Gilbert's Potoroo standing on hind legs, surrounded by leaf litter — The Gilbert’s Potoroo is the world’s most endangered marsupial. (Photo: Dick Walker & the Gilbert’s Potoroo Action Group)

Many of you might not have heard of the Gilbert’s Potoroo, and author Penny Jaye herself first learned about the species from a promotional brochure. The leaflet told the story of bushfire sweeping through the scrub at Two People’s Bay in Western Australia, leaving only seven of the species behind.

“As I was doing research for the book I was struck by the proactive approach taken by the conservation team working with the Gilbert’s Potoroos. Their attitude wasn’t one of ‘if a fire comes’, but ‘when a fire comes’. They foresaw the devastating impact a fire could have, and were able to proactively identify alternate environments for the potoroos to be relocated to,” explains Penny.

Author Penny Jaye smiling and holding a copy of her book One Potoroo — The plight of the Gilbert’s Potoroo and the passionate people working to save them, was a story author Penny Jaye had to tell.

With approximately only 100 animals left, the Gilbert’s Potoroo is the world’s most endangered marsupial, which is why this conservation tale is so important to share.

“The Gilbert’s Potoroo is a fantastic example of the interconnectedness between a species and its natural habitat, reminding us that there is an ecological balance we need to respect and pay attention to. I would love young readers to be excited to learn more about Australia’s unique animals, and the work that can be done to protect and provide for them.”

“There is a very proactive role people can play in protecting species like this and I hope children will imagine the possibilities for their own involvement in conservation, whether they are scientists, researchers or volunteers,” shares Penny.

So this National Threatened Species Day we hope you take the time to reflect on, learn about, and celebrate Australia’s amazing plants, animals and ecosystems, and that you are inspired by the work being done by conservationists, researchers, volunteers, and community experts, to protect them for generations to come.