Koala has never been to camp, before, so she doesn't know her way around. When Grizzly invites her into the Bear Cabin, Kangaroo announces that Koala is not a bear. Grizzly says Kangaroo is a know-it-all. Koala notes that she has sharp teeth and claws, a bear trait. The bear says Koala must be a bear.
"HA!"
said Kangaroo.
"Crocodiles have sharp teeth
and claws. And they, most
certainly, are not bears."
You can see where this is headed. Koala can climb trees, but so can lemurs. Koala can growl, but so can tigers. But . . . Koala doesn't have a tail, although she does have thick, wooly fur. The duck says if Koala walks like a bear and talks like a bear, she must be one. But, Kangaroo replies that she has it on good authority that Koala is not a bear. And, there are ways in which Koala is not so similar to bear, like her eating habits. When Kangaroo points out the fact that Koala and Kangaroo both have pouches and Koala pulls out a photo of her family, which includes Kangaroo's great-aunt Quokka, the light bulb goes off, so to speak. Koala asks Kangaroo if she rode in a pouch, was called a joey when young, and is from Australia.
Kangaroo scratched her chin.
"Western Australia. So that makes us . . . "
"Cousins?" guessed Grizzly.
"Confused?" asked Duck
"Marsupials!" said Kangaroo.
"Family!" added Koala.
And, Kangaroo shows Koala to the Marsupial cabin.
Highly recommended - Koala is Not a Bear could have been repetitive and unsurprising, but instead it was sweet, informative, charming, and even a little funny, especially with the ending duck joke in which the duck asks the platypus which way it is to the duck cabin. I love this story.
Many thanks to Sterling Children's Books for the review copy. One more post to go!
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