Peculiar Parents | National Library of Australia (NLA)

Peculiar Parents

Author Stephanie Owen Reeder, illustrated by Ingrid Bartkowiak
Publication Date 01 Jul 2025
Cover for 'Peculiar Parents' by Stephanie Owen Reeder and illustrated by Ingrid Bartkowiak, featuring illustrations of framed animal pictures on a blue background

Peculiar Parents introduces us to 60 Australian animal species, focusing on all things family—picking a mate, making a home, having babies, finding food and looking after one another. 

You’ll meet parrots that play the drums and cuttlefish that can change colour, as well as dancing spiders, travelling turtles, kissing lizards, plonking pobblebonks and many more amazing Aussie animals.

 

About the author

Author Stephanie Owen Reeder smiling

Dr Stephanie Owen Reeder is the author of over 25 books for children and adults. She has worked as a schoolteacher, a librarian, a book editor, a university lecturer and a Hansard Editor at Federal Parliament. Stephanie has won many awards, including the CBCA Book of the Year Award and the NSW Premier’s History Award. In 2019, Stephanie was presented with the CBCA Laurie Copping Award for Distinguished Service to Children’s Literature. Her latest children’s books include the Heritage Heroes compilation Courageous Kids and Their Amazing Adventures and the non-fiction picture book Australia’s Wild Weird Wonderful Weather.

 

Also by Stephanie Owen Reeder

Cover of the book 'Courageous Kids'
Courageous Kids and Their Amazing Adventures

Stephanie Owen Reeder, illustrated by Liz Duthie

Book
Cover of the book 'Australia's Weird Wild Wonderful Weather'
Australia's Wild Weird Wonderful Weather

Stephanie Owen Reader and Tania McCartney

Book

About the illustrator

Illustrator Ingrid Bartkowia standing in a doorway smiling

Based in Meanjin/Brisbane, Ingrid Bartkowiak is an artist and illustrator who works primarily in watercolour. Her hand-painted work features native flora, fauna and fungi. Ingrid has a fascination with all things small and intricate, from tufts of moss on a footpath to the fungi sprouting from a wombat dropping. Ingrid has worked across a diverse array of projects, including picture book illustration, murals, packaging designs and even pet portraits.

 

Page published: 01 May 2025

Shop now

Browse Australian writing and gifts online

Go to the Bookshop