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Bird expert wins award for children’s book

August 18, 2004

Gisela-Kaplan.jpgA University of New England professor who is a world-renowned authority on the behaviour of birds has won a national publishing award for a book that opens the wonders of bird behaviour to children.
Professor Gisela Kaplan won the Primary Single category in the 2004 Australian
Awards for Excellence in Publishing with her book Famous Australian Birds (Allen & Unwin, 2003).
Famous Australian Birds makes accessible to primary-aged children many of the
latest research findings on the behaviour of familiar birds such as kookaburras, magpies, cockatoos, lyrebirds, tawny frogmouths and wedge-tailed eagles. The book is outstanding for what one reviewer described as the "warmth and sincerity" of its "narrative voice", which "speaks directly to the reader". Professor Kaplan is also an accomplished photographer, and her photographs, taken with a scientist's eye for detail and a bird-lover's affection for the subject, illustrate the book.
The annual Australian Awards for Excellence in Publishing recognise the year's most outstanding books for primary, secondary and tertiary students.
The presentation ceremony, earlier this month, was in Melbourne. "I was pleased about the award because it highlights the importance of helping children to engage with science and with their natural environment," Professor Kaplan said.
"Anything we can do to encourage children to seek knowledge about our Australian wildlife will ultimately help the environment. This is also a national identity issue: one can only be proud of what one knows."

Professor Kaplan lectures in Biological Sciences and Education at UNE and,
in her spare time, runs a bird rehabilitation centre at her home near
Armidale. Many of the stories in the book are taken from her experience of
rearing orphans and rehabilitating injured birds. While she is a prolific
author of scientific books and articles, Famous Australian Birds is her
first book written specifically for children. "Children are keen observers,"
she said. "The first thing they (see) is a bird's behaviour, and they want to
know what it means. When I have explained to children how they could
interpret a bird's behaviour they have become very excited, wanting to know
more and more. That's why I wrote the book.”

More detailed accounts of the bird behaviour discussed in Famous Australian
Birds can be found in Birds: Their Habits and Skills, written by Professor
Kaplan and her UNE colleague Professor Lesley Rogers, and published in 2001.
Professor Kaplan's ground-breaking book on the Australian magpie is to be
published soon.
For more information phone Jim Scanlan on 6773 3049.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at August 18, 2004 03:48 PM