An Environmentally Friendly Tribute to Native Australian Wonders and People

San Mateo, Calif. – May 01, 2007 – Koala Jo Publishing today announced release of its title, KLASSIC KOALAS: ANCIENT ABORIGINAL TALES IN NEW RETELLINGS, by award-winning author Lee Barwood. It will be in both softcover and e-book formats. The book contains accompanying illustrations by Joanne Ehrich and artists of the Central Ohio Art Academy, directed by Donna Boiman, the school’s founder and artistic director. An e-book release conserves resources and offers greater benefit to the Australian Australian Wildlife Hospital, a major initiative of Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, Ltd., designated as the cause to which the book will contribute.

The Dreamtime is Australia’s time before time. In Aboriginal legends, this is when animals, birds, and plants came into being and took their current forms, so that Australia could become what it is today—a place of wonder and diversity, populated by unique creatures found nowhere else.

Now, however, Australia and its creatures are under threat—from habitat destruction, global warming, and the incursions of predators not native to Australia. A way of life that was old before Leif Ericson set sail has already largely vanished, and many of the creatures that accompanied the native Australians on walkabout are lost to the permanence of extinction. But before such threats faced the native population and the creatures that inhabit these pages, the Aborigines told marvelous tales of the way the world used to be – and the way it existed for thousands of years. These tales explained how regions and creatures came to be the way they were, offered reasons for bird and animal behavior, and gave insights into the ways of the humans who walked the Songlines.

This book of Aboriginal stories brings the time of Dreaming to life. From the Great Flood to the story of how the koala lost its tail, these are some glimpses into ancient Aboriginal folklore. Ninety Australian Aboriginal terms, plants, and animals are represented visually, in vivid colors, or explained in detail in a glossary. A bibliography offers suggestions for further reading.

Each copy of this book contributes to the Australian Wildlife Hospital, a project of Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors Worldwide Ltd., for the preservation of the koala and other Australian creatures under threat. The e-book version of this book uses no paper and leaves no footprint upon the Earth. It also contributes 100% of its purchase price to the Hospital.

About the Author:
Storyteller Lee Barwood has been writing fantasy, environmental fiction, and mystery for over thirty years. Her stories and poetry have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Ellery Queen¹s Mystery Magazine, Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, Catfantastic III and V, and Horsefantastic; her environmental novel A Dream of Drowned Hollow won Andre Norton’s Gryphon Award. She has also worked as a magazine and newspaper editor, technical writer, and book and music reviewer.

About the Artwork and Artists:
The artwork in this book is a collaborative effort among the young artists of the Central Ohio Art Academy; their director, artist Donna Boiman; and editor/artist Joanne Ehrich. Prepared in a look reminiscent of the graphic novel style, each illustration uses bright, bold colors to embellish either a hand-drawn picture, an image drawn from electronic media, or a blend of the two. The pictures, prepared in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, showcase not only Donna Boiman’s and her students’ capabilities in their depictions of Australian animals, but also the talents of editor Ehrich, who took all the illustrations from the students, rendered them into a consistent format and size, and added additional illustrations and thumbnails to complete the book. The artists’ creativity and love of animals shine forth from all of their images.

Availability
Order Information: KLASSIC KOALAS: ANCIENT ABORIGINAL TALES IN NEW RETELLINGS, by Lee Barwood; ISBN: 978-0-9764698-1-0; softcover, 64 Pages; 21 illustrations; Category: Juvenile Fiction/Animals/Myths & Legends; May 01, 2007; $29.00 USD; Koala Jo Publishing, San Mateo, CA; Distributed to the trade by Baker & Taylor, Blackwells, and The Book House wholesalers. For international and online orders, or a more complete listing of wholesalers, please visit www.koalajo.com/.

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