A Bag and a Bird

Celebrated author-illustrator Pamela Allen retells a true story and celebrates some of Australian most famous icons in a series of delightful pictures for the very young.This is a story of a plastic bag and a bird – a cautionary tale about taking care of our environment as well as being a wonderful showcase of some of the famous sights of Sydney.’One day, a long time ago when I lived in Kirribilli, Sydney, I packed a lunch and set out to walk to the Botanic Gardens . . . I crossed the harbour bridge then climbed down to Circular Quay. I walked beside the sea wall, past the Opera House until I reached the Botanic Gardens.

Pamela Allen is a phenomenon in the world of children’s literature. Since her first publication in 1980, her picture books have enchanted generations of children around the world, and have garnered a glittering array of awards and commendations including six Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards, two New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards, an International Board on Books for Young People Diploma for Illustration, the Margaret Mahy Medal, New Zealand’s most prestigious award for children’s literature, and most recently The Gaylene Gordon Award for a Much Loved Book from the Children’s Literature Foundation of New Zealand. Pamela’s books are full of the music of language; they are ‘fragments of theatre’, designed to be read aloud and shared between an adult and a child. Patch Theatre Company of Adelaide has created three theatrical performances from a selection of Pamela’s books. These have toured throughout Australia and New Zealand, performing to packed houses. ‘From Pamela Allen’s first publication in 1980 it was clear that here was a creator of picture books with all the glow, gesture, din and dance to capture the attention, engage the imagination, teach, show, tickle and excite small children.’ Meg Sorensen, Australian Book Review