kiddo corner!
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Resident Kiddo Book Reviewer: Henry Williams, 10 years
Hi, I’m Henry. I love reading (I always have a book in my hand, except when I’m eating dinner but that’s only because my mum won’t let me!), playing Minecraft and cricket. I have a twin sister and a little sister who drive me kinda crazy but I love them anyway (shhh...don’t tell them that).
Did you know that more than one million animal species make their homes in Australia? Neither did I, but after reading Wild Australian Life I know that and so much more about Australian wildlife. Australia is actually a wildlife wonderland where the world’s deadliest snakes live side by side with hopping mice and powerful kangaroos, and there is so much to learn about! The author, Leonard Cronin, is a trained biologist and he sure knows his animal facts; one of the things I loved most about this book was just how many new and remarkable things I learned about Aussie animals that I had no idea about. Did you know flocks of budgies scour the Aussie deserts? Or that there’s an Australian shrimp that can punch so hard that it could shatter aquarium glass? You sure don’t want one of those in your fish tank! This book will teach you all about the diversity of Aussie wildlife, how animals and insects live their lives and survive in their habitats, from the deepest
Kids Quiz 1. How many colours are there
in the rainbow? 2. What does a thermometer
measure? oceans to the tops of mountains and the harshest deserts. I can’t review this book without mentioning the illustrator, Chris Nixon, because the book's 64 pages are full of lifelike drawings of every animal and insect you could possibly imagine and that’s pretty impressive! Don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a picture book though, this is actually suited to kids aged 6–12 and is like an encyclopedia of the Australian animal kingdom. I even caught my Dad reading it, and Mum said it’s such a pretty book it belongs on a coffee table! So I guess that means it gets the tick of approval from the whole family.
3. What fruit do raisins come from? 4. How many wheels do
tricycles have? 5. Who lives at Number 4
Privet Drive? 6. Where is the Eiffel Tower? 7.
What do Koalas eat?
8. How many Olympic rings
are there? 9.
What’s the closest planet to the sun?
10. How many musicians
are there in a quartet?
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23 20:00
2021/12/
Answers: 1. Seven, 2. Temperature, 3. Grapes, 4. Three, 5. Harry Potter, 6. Paris, 7. Eucalyptus leaves, 8. Five, 9. Mercury, 10. Four
Henry Reads
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Meet this month’s doer Meet Amber (she/her), a sixteen-yearold activist from Adelaide who uses her community engagement to stand up for climate action. After attending the International School Strike for Climate protest in September 2019, Amber was empowered by the young people organising it and the impacts they made. She has since been involved in the SS4C movement, taking on liaison and presenting roles. “Presenting in front of so many people was certainly daunting, and I felt challenged to write in a language that was both inspiring to a crowd and truthful to my own beliefs. I benefited greatly to have this opportunity to plan a larger strike as well as speaking and it has empowered me as a young person to continue to speak up about the misinformation surrounding the Climate Crisis and the immediate need for change.” Amber’s other work with SS4C has included initiating a Beach Clean-up Day in collaboration with the
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Semaphore Largs Dunes Group and speaking at Cardjin College about appropriate waste management and understanding carbon footprint. She has met with South Australian Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs to discuss waste management in State schools. Amber was also involved in the Working Women’s Centre and Youth Affairs Council’s conference about youth representation in decision making for Australia. She has appeared on local media platforms ABC Radio National with Peter Goers and Channel 44 Adelaide and worked with Sydney Boom Squish Theatre Company as part of a production about Young People and the Climate Crisis.
In June 2021, Amber was awarded the Young Achiever of the Year for the South Australian Environment Awards 2021.
“These opportunities have enabled me to gain a deeper understanding not only about the Climate and its impact but also about myself and how I would like to enact meaningful change for the better.”
Follow @getaaroundit_sa on Instagram to see what other young South Australians are up to in their own backyards, or DM to submit a candidate! Why not nominate yourself, or another young person you know who you think would make a great addition to the Get Around It showcase?
You can find Amber on Instagram at @_amberbf and @amberbrockfabel