Reproduction of the original: The Cockatoo ́s Story by Mrs. George Cupples

The wild and beautiful birds of the title are the cockatoos who - welcome trespassers in a surburban garden - transform the lives of those they condescend to visit. The Davorens, who for seven years have lived in total silence, are united suddenly in mutual worship of their exotic guests. Miss Le Cornu, the lonely spinster for whom Davoren's calls have become a needed ritual, regards the birds' descent on her chimney-pot as a privilege little short of divine grace. Savage but kind-eyed, tearing with fierce beak at his chosen victim, the cockatoo appears in many disguises in this masterly collection of short novels and stories. Essentially, the book's theme is intimacy, that close relationship in which possessive love can invade and cripple the spirit. In A Woman's Hand, and elderly man married to a proud, manipulative woman perceives in another man's magnificent isolation the stillness and contentment that he will never achieve. Allegedly raped by a mystery intruder, the respectable daughter of respectable and doting parents in The Night the Prowler sets out to violate the social codes that chain her to an unreal identity. In Sicilian Vespers, a doctor's wife on holiday attempts to exorcise her childhood specters in what could be a blasphemous and joyless act of adultery or, on the other hand, a surrender to hysterical fantasy. So complete and richly furnishes is the writing of Patrick White that ideas and images within each story are as satisfying as the whole; each story is as nourishing as the book itself. The Cockatoos achieves a majesty to match the grandeur of his finest novels.

This book is based on the power of stories to support children in all areas of their lives. It examines the role narratives can play in encouraging growth in contexts and domains such as personal and family identity, creative movement, memory and self-concept, social relationships, or developing a sense of humor. Each chapter describes innovative and research-based applications of narratives such as movement stories, visual narratives to develop historical thinking, multimodal storytelling, bibliotherapy, mathematics stories, family stories, and social narratives. The chapters elaborate on the strength of narratives in supporting the whole child in diverse contexts from young children on the autism spectrum improving their social skills at school, to four- and five-year-olds developing historical thinking, to children who are refugees or asylum-seekers dealing with uncertainty and loss. Written by accomplished teachers, researchers, specialists, teaching artists and teacher educators from several countries and backgrounds, the book fills a gap in the literature on narratives. “...this work delves into the topic of narratives in young children’s lives with a breadth of topics and depth of study not found elsewhere.” “Collectively, the insights of the contributors build a convincing case for emphasizing story across the various disciplines and developmental domains of the early childhood years.” “The writing style is scholarly, yet accessible. Authors used a wide array of visual material to make their points clearer and show the reader what meaningful uses of story “look like”.” Mary Renck Jalongo, Journal and Book Series Editor Springer Indiana, PA, USA

This reference book on the cockatoo family provides a comprehensive physical description of the various species of this exotic parrot, the habitat they favor, and their distribution and behaviors both in the wild and in captivity. Their reproductive history is examined, as is the possibility of breeding sufficient numbers in captivity to develop sustainable populations for re-introduction to their original habitat should they become extinct in the wild. The book explores the historical encounters of the various species with Europeans two centuries ago. That early history provides considerable insight to the cockatoo's popularity and to efforts to breed them in captivity. Many cockatoo species face a perilous future. As their native forests are logged, the cockatoos lose not only suitable nesting and roosting sites, but native foods. Additionally, despite conservation laws governing the capture of wild cockatoos, their desirability as an avian pet has spawned a worldwide illicit trade critically endangering some species to the point that they face extinction in the wild.

"Friends in Feathers and Fur, and Other Neighbors: For Young Folks" by James Johonnot is book II of James Jahonnot's Natural History Series. The book covers common household, farmyard, and wild animals including chickens, ducks, geese, doves, birds of prey, mice, squirrels, owls, frogs, porcupines, and many more. This book was and continues to be a useful and accessible way for children to start learning about nature and animals around the world.

Cockatoos are large, intelligent and attractive birds. Of the twenty-one recognized species, fourteen occur in Australia, with three of these also found in New Guinea. Seven species are distributed across the islands of south-east Asia. While many species are common or abundant, an increasing number face extinction due to habitat loss, the illegal bird trade and global warming.

Henry Lawson · Barbara Baynton ·Henry Handel Richardson · Katharine Susannah Prichard · Christina Stead ·Gavin Casey ·Vance Palmer · Alan Marshall · Marjorie Barnard ·Judah Waten · John Morrison · Peter Cowan · Hal Porter · Patrick White · Thelma Forshaw ·Dal Stivens · Peter Carey Murray Bail · Frank Moorhouse · T.A.G. Hungerford · Elizabeth Jolley · Michael Wilding · Olga Masters · Beverley Farmer · Fay Zwicky · Barry Hill · Gerald Murnane · Archie Weller · Thea Astley · Helen Garner · Lily Brett · Susan Hampton · Gail Jones In this bestselling collection the Australian short story is represented from its Bulletin beginnings to its vigorous revival in the late twentieth century.