This is the true story of fifteen-year-old John Murphy, who joined
Leichardt s ill-conceived Expedition of Discovery in northern Australia
in 1844 and was extremely fortunate to have survived this gruelling
journey. Each of Murphy s diary entries is prefaced with an excerpt
from Leichardt s journal.
Young Murphy was befriended by the naturalist/illustrator of the
expedition and learned the art, and the text is accompanied by
beautifully drawn illustrations of plants, animals and scenes
encountered on the expedition. Murphy went on to become a wildlife
illustrator of note himself.
About The Author
Gary Crew has an outstanding reputation as a writer of Young Adult
fiction and innovative picture books. His numerous prizes and awards
include CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers for Strange Objects and
Angel s Gate (1991 and 1994), which also received widespread
international recognition; CBCA Honour Book for Memorial (2000), CBCA
Picture Book of the Year for First Light (1994); CBCA Picture Book of
the Year for The Watertower (1995); and The Lost Diamonds of
Killiecrankie was a Notable Book in 1996. In 2004 his publications
included the three books of the Extinct series: I Saw Nothing: The
Extinction of the Thylacine, I Said Nothing: The Extinction of the
Paradise Parrot and I Did Nothing: The Extinction of the
Gastric-Brooding Frog. Gary lives in Maleny, Queensland.
About The Illustrator
Melbourne artist Mark Wilson has illustrated a number of educational
and trade children s books, including the picture book Penguin Shore by
Tim O Brien. His previous Lothian Books are The Wombat King, The Valley
of the Bones and The Lie in the After Dark series, as well as The
Castaways of the Charles Eaton and the three books of the Extinct
series: I Saw Nothing: The Extinction of the Thylacine, I Said Nothing:
The Extinction of the Paradise Parrot and I Did Nothing: The Extinction
of the Gastric-Brooding Frog. Mark lives in Frankston, Victoria.
ISBN: 9780734407801
ISBN-10: 0734407807
Audience:
Teenager / Young Adult
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 32
Published: 1st August 2005
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Dimensions (cm): 23.9 x 25.3
x 0.9
Weight (kg): 0.35