Paddy O'Melon the Irish kangaroo by Julia Cooper and Daryl Dickson

Exisle, 2017. ISBN 9781925335637
On the very day that he took his first steps out of his mother's pouch, the little kangaroo is separated from her as two large black marauding dogs race through the clearing, scattering them to shelter. The joey cannot keep up with his mum so he hides, found hours later by the O'Melon family who live in a valley in the rainforest and who care for injured and orphaned native creatures. They call him Paddy O'Melon, their Irish kangaroo. Wrapped in a pillowcase pouch and bottle-fed a special milk mixture, Paddy not only survives but thrives. He spends more and more time in the garden as he grows, meeting and making friends with the other creatures that the O'Melons have rescued. Eventually, all his time is spent outdoors and the family tell him that when he is old enough he can return to the wild and live with his own kind. But just what is his "own kind"? When he introduces himself as Paddy O'Melon the Irish kangaroo, he is met with sniggers and giggles and no one is able to help him. The best advice he can get is to find the cassowary who knows everything and everyone.
This is a charming story with echoes of Are you my mother? but with much more depth and interest. Written by a highly regarded naturalist, who has since passed away, it not only introduces the reader to the unfamiliar and unique creatures of Far North Queensland but carries a lot of information about them in both the text and the stunning illustrations, but never intruding into the story of Paddy's quest.
While many are familiar with kangaroos and wallabies, few know about their cousins the pademelons who inhabit the northern rainforests In an effort to spread the word about the species of her home region, Cooper has deliberately included the more unusual.
There are also Teachers' Notes available and royalties are being donated to further the conservation of the area.
Apart from just being a good story, this book also introduces us to more of Australia's wonderful wildlife, perhaps setting up an investigation that compares and contrasts those of the FNQ region to those in the students' region.
Barbara Braxton