A trip through primeval rain forest in Queensland, "my father knows a place we can only reach by boat." Gorgeous mixed-media collages are so life-like, each tangled creeper, nubby branch, hanging root, squiggly snake or vanished dinosaur seems real. (Picture book)

At Eucla we had sandy sandwiches near the ruins of the old telegraph station." Charming family road trip around Australia – snorkeling in Turquoise Bay, an underground river at Tunnel Creek, bushwalking in the Blue Mountains and more. A wonderful introduction to Australia, based on the author's childhood travels. (Picture book)

In the heart of Australia is Uluru (Ayers Rock). Excellent overview of Uluru, not only as a geological wonder (the world's biggest single rock), but as a sacred place of the Aboriginal people, connected to creation time stories, and a home to desert wildlife. (Chapter book, photographs)

Water is life in dry, dusty Australia, and everyone waits for the rain – an old man snoozes in the shade of the tree, dogs dig holes to keep cool, kids swim in the billabong, frogs lap up the smallest drops of water, and then … "there was rain." Colorful illustrations, like Aboriginal art. (Picture book)

Young Riley and Alice are off to Australia to a sheep station, where they find poddy lambs and the life of the cowboy, along with wallabies, dingoes, kookaburras, kangaroos and koalas in the fast-disappearing eucalyptus trees. Importance of conservation, and super photographs of all the animals! (Picture book)

Discover the fascinating animals of Australia in their different habitats – koalas and kookaburras in the forest, goannas and bilbies in the desert, dolphins and dugongs in the ocean. Stories about each animal and fun facts. (Chapter book)

Before you head out to the Great Barrier Reef, discover the fascinating world of the coral reef – angelfish, sharks, triggerfish, manta rays, moray eels, and parrot fish that eat coral! Beautiful watercolor illustrations. (Picture book)

Limpey, a hilarious warty cane toad, is looking for a better home for himself and his rellies (relatives). Accompanied by his sister Charm and cousin Goliath, Limpey searches for a national park where there are brilliant mud slides, fragrant swamps and every living thing is protected, even cane toads. A fun read. (Chapter book)

Don't miss Limpey's first adventure: Toad Rage

Wild adventures of Andrew and his cousin Judy in the Australian rain forest and desert. Shrunk to the size of bugs, the kids are nearly lunch for a carnivorous plant in the jungle. Meat eater ants in the desert think the kids are a snack, but they’re saved by a lumpy lizard. (Easy reader)

Hunwick's Egg
Mem Fox, Pamela Lofts

At the edge of a dusty desert, a storm drops an egg into Hunwick's burrow. Hunwick, an adorable bandicoot, makes a home for the unusual egg, but the emu, echidna, and cockatoo wonder if the egg will hatch. A story to delight little ones, exquisitely illustrated! (Picture book)

And don't miss two other charming tales by Mem Fox: Koala Lou and Possum Magic

An Australian friend brought us a copy of One Wooley Wombat when our kids were toddlers, and it's still one of our favorites. A counting book, "One wooley wombat sunning by the sea … two cuddly koalas sipping gumnut tea…" (Picture book)

It's 1894, and there's plenty of hard work for twelve year old Casey on his family's homestead, but Casey daydreams of the brumbies, wild horses that run free, especially one black stallion, Moonrunner. Wonderful local color of a vanished way of life. (Chapter book)

Dusty loves life on a remote cattle ranch, especially her Snow Pony, a wild mountain horse that she tamed and trained. Up on the high plains, when her dad is injured, it's up to Dusty and the Snow Pony to go for help. A fun read for older kids. (Chapter book)

Pictorial overview of the land, people, and culture of Australia – diverse wildlife and landscape, history of the Aborgines, sports (surfing), schools in the outback, boomerangs and digeridoos, celebrating Christmas on the beach. (Picture book)

Delightful fun facts about Australia. Aboriginals invented the boomerang; along with kangaroos, Australia is home to the Tasmanian devil and frill-necked lizards; there are there ten times more sheep than people in Australia, and more. (Picture book)