Fluffles: The Brave Koala Who Survived a Bushfire; Vita Murrow, illustrated by Rachel Qiuqi

Fluffles: The Brave Koala Who Survived a Bushfire is part of a new series of books based on heroic animals entitled ‘True Stories of Animal Heroes’ and is published by the brilliant Frances Lincoln Children’s.

Fluffles lived amongst the eucalyptus leaves in South-Eastern Australia. She would spend the days playing with her fluffy friends, munching on the tasty leaves and sleeping in the lofty branches. One terrible day everything changed when her home was engulfed by searing heat and fierce flames. With danger all around, Fluffles sought refuge at the top of a tree and trusted that everything would ok…

This is such a sweet story based on the real bushfires that occurred in Australia in 2020. Fluffles was one of a number of koalas whose life was endangered by the devastating fires that tore through many parts of Australia. Escaping from the fire by climbing to the tops of the trees, many koalas, including Fluffles, injured themselves when they climbed down as they burnt their paws on the smouldering bark. These injured koalas were rescued by firefighters and passed into the care of wildlife experts who nursed the injured paws and nurtured the creatures back to health before returning them to the wild.

The story is fairly short and what really elevates this book are the illustrations. The koalas are absolutely adorable, although you are never sure which one Fluffles is when multiple koalas make an appearance. The soft and gentle images will have the reader wanting to reach out and carefully stroke each koala.

A lovely book to use with young children to explore ideas of bravery, overcoming adversity, the importance of looking after nature and conservation. Two extra pages at the back of the book feature a short factual explanation about koalas and the fires, and include photographs.

Recommended for 4+.

With thanks to Frances Lincoln Children’s and Vita Murrow for the advanced reader copy that was received through Netgalley. Due for publication on 2nd March 2021.