Jenny Cullen

Thank you Samantha for writing this truly excellent book with such tenderness and deep knowledge. And to Camille for the soft and engaging illustrations. I am a primary teacher who has been trying to integrate environmental education into school curricula and activities for nearly 40 years. This is the first book I have seen explaining Australian soils for primary aged children from Kindy right up to older children - so many of our non-fiction books are now written overseas. I love the last page which says, "In Australia, our soil is old like dinosaurs. But soil is alive, not like dinosaurs! Not many people discover a dinosaur in their garden, but everyone can discover soil, just by digging." I am about to buy several copies for our upcoming whole-school day of environmental activities, where the focus this year is the rock-soil-plant connection. I am also hoping to stop them digging constantly around root zones, denuding the topsoil and leading to long-term tree decline. This book will help them understand why it matters to look after our precious topsoil.