Ref Rap: New Reference Books

The Penguin Anthology of Australian Poetry
Bib: 326730
Call No.: Aust Lit. 821.008PEN
Locations: Reference and Lending: Sutherland, Miranda, Caringbah, Engadine and Menai; Reference only: Cronulla; Lending only: Bundeena

This anthology contains poetry spanning the history of Australia from the eighteenth to twenty-first centuries. It is different from many other Australian compilations in that it contains works from some lesser known authors as well as traditional ones. It also has a heavy focus on 20^th century Australian poetry and provides a viewpoint into a wide variety of themes such as migration and the feminist movement. It also give an insight into Australia’s past including convict lives. The poetry is divided into centuries with a short description at the beginning of each section. There is an index at the back and short biographies of all the known poets. This could be a good source for related texts in the HSC Area of Study ‘Belonging’, history students or those studying Indigenous languages and cultures.

P.S. I just used this resource to help a Year 10 student find poetry on Australian social conflict.

Australian Reptiles and Frogs
Bib: 333487
Call No.: 597.8CRO
Locations: Reference and Lending: Sutherland and all branches; Reference only: Miranda

This is a field guide to the wonders of nature, namely reptiles and frogs. This guide is well set out and very easy to use. It contains a surprisingly comprehensive introduction to the behaviours and appearance of reptiles and snakes including a section on how to identify snakes (this involves counting scales!). There is also a small section on snake bite first aid (for those who attempted to count a snake’s scales and were inevitably bitten). The book is divided into sections on frogs, geckos, dragons, monitors, skinks, legless lizards, snakes and turtles. Each entry contains information on a species’ appearance, behaviour, habitat, development and diet. It also contains a distribution map, and the species’ Latin name, family name, length (and number of mid-body scales for snake identification) and their status. There are no photographs of the animals, but there are colour drawings for each species. The author does note however, that colours and distribution can vary widely in reptiles and amphibians. While each entry is restricted to one page, the descriptions are quite detailed and the information is very interesting. This would be a great guide for those attempting to identify snakes and reptiles as well as students researching school assignments.

Has anyone else found a reference book that's been particularly helpful when finding information?

You're welcome to share it here!

- Karen