Pilgrimage Of The Pelicans
Newcastle Herald
Saturday September 2, 2000
PANNIKIN & PINTA
Colin Thiele and Peter Gouldthorpe Lothian, 46p, $24.95 AUTHOR Colin Thiele returns to the world of his classic pelican story Storm Boy with this heart-warming hardcover picture book spectacularly illustrated by artist Peter Gouldthorpe.
When wet season floods transform the `shimmering saltpan' of Lake Eyre into a thriving inland sea, pelicans come from the coast in their thousands to breed.
Sam Todd, the 12-year-old son of a park ranger, takes a liking to a family of pelicans and names the mother Pinta, the father Portly and the `wonderfully ugly' babies Preen, Plume and Pannikin.
But as the seasons change, the dwindling food supply and tragedy forces an epic journey back to the coast.
The pelicans make appealing characters and the sense of family is strong.
Thiele doesn't insult young readers by anthropomorphising the birds but he skilfully draws bittersweet emotions from their plight and the dramas of their remarkable flight.
The words and richly coloured paintings are loaded with factual information.
There's also a map to trace the journey.
© 2000 Newcastle Herald