What can you expect in a family of quirky adults, hyperactive children, and an assortment of pets? The author and her siblings shared their childhood with Kesavan, the incorrigibly curious black monkey; Judie, the nimble giant squirrel; Mini, the shy mouse deer that strayed; Psitta, the cackling parakeet; Devil, the runaway hound and many more creatures great and small. The adventures of the children and antics of their pets, together with the adults in the family make for a whole lot of fun and laughter - not just in the backyard but indoors as well.

'During the evening hours you can hear the symphony of locusts as they converse with their neighbors about what they have seen and done in that day and their plans for the night. Mosquitoes are humming and roaring like so many dive bombers.'It's a Zoo in my Backyard! Takes you on a fun trip through the imaginative world that could be. Join the fun!

Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel's Life of Pi. So begins his "lovely and human" (Jenny Lawson, author of Furiously Happy) tale of obsessively pursuing a dream, overcoming failure, and finding meaning in life. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I found myself standing dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. Far below me was an incredible abyss with no end in sight. I could turn back and safely return to where I had come from, or I could throw caution to the wind, lift my arms up into the air . . . and jump.” —From The Elephants in My Backyard What happens when you spend ten years obsessively pursuing a dream, and then, in the blink of an eye, you learn that you have failed, that the dream will not come true? In 2003, Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Mesmerized by all the similarities between Pi and himself—both are five-foot-five with coffee-colored complexions, both share a South Indian culture, both lived by a zoo—when Rajiv learns that Life of Pi will be made into a major motion picture he is convinced that playing the title role is his destiny. In a great leap of faith Rajiv embarks on a quest to embody the sixteen-year-old Tamil schoolboy. He quits university and buys a one-way ticket from Toronto to South India. He visits the sacred stone temples of Pondicherry, he travels to the frigid waters off the coast of rural Maine, and explores the cobbled streets of Munich. He befriends Yann Martel, a priest, a castaway, an eccentric old woman, and a pack of Tamil schoolboys. He learns how to swim, to spin wool, to keep bees, and to look a tiger in the eye. All the while he is really learning how to dream big, to fail, to survive, to love, and to become who he truly is. Rajiv Surendra captures the uncertainty, heartache, and joy of finding ones place in the world with sly humor and refreshing honesty. The Elephants in My Backyard is not a journey of goals and victories, but a story of process and determination. It is a spellbinding and profound book for anyone who has ever failed at something and had to find a new path through life.

Rarely does a sequel match the wonder of the first book. More Backyard Zoo is an exception. Highly recommended for children and adults alike. Sit down and read aloud the stories of Daniel Mannix's childhood multitude of animals and adventures. Your family will howl with delight.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPEECH PATHOLOGY AUSTRALIA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 LONGLISTED FOR THE CBCA EVE POWNALL AWARD 2021 There's a Zoo in your Poo! It needs a Zookeeper And that Keeper is YOU! Did you know that trillions of tiny bugs live in and on all of us? And there's a Zoo of bugs in our poo. But which are the good bugs and which are the bad? What should we eat to keep our good bugs happy and our body strong? Get to the guts of what you need to know about you and your poo. Professor Felice Jacka is a world expert in the field of Nutritional Psychiatry and gut health. Teacher and musician Rob Craw is a world expert at drawing bugs! They want kids to know all about the amazing stuff going on in their bodies. Get ready for a journey inside the most exciting of places ... YOU!

Ever wonder what it's like to have a zoo in your backyard? The dream isn't as far-fetched as you think. Michael Holmes and his mother did it. And this book recounts every animal they saw in their zoo that had no cages, and could be visited by birds and animals at will. All it took was wild idea, and few hundred dollars of animal food. Welcome to the backyard zoo!

A rhyming picture book that introduces backyard animals by baby and family group names while counting them from one to ten, followed by a "For creative minds" section with animal facts memory game and information on caring for wildlife.

Our Backyard Zoo shows the web of life on our planet and how a small change to any part of it can upset its balance. Join the children as they learn about the incredible diversity on our planet and why to conserve them.

Find out what happens to all of the poo at the zoo in this funny and factual picture book! There are so many different kinds of animals at the zoo, and they each make lots and lots (and sometimes LOTS!) of poo. So what do zoos do with all of that poo? This zany, fact-filled romp explores zoo poo, from cube-shaped wombat poo to white hyena scat, and all of the places it ends up, including in science labs and elephant-poo paper—even backyard gardens!