You can see a lot of things from our very narrow veranda in Australia. The very narrow veranda runs along our very yellow house, which faces the cobalt Coral Sea. And when you sit on the very narrow veranda, it’s a bit like sitting in the aisle of a bus. So Mum and Dad bought a very narrow table to stretch the length of it. Around springtime, the Stewart clan pull up a chair at that very narrow table, to watch the humpback migration. They sit in a line (as though waiting for the bus) so that nobody misses the view. It’s like a fishy version of the Last Supper. All eyes are on the sea. It’s brimming with life. It’s our joy. Last summer I sat on that very narrow veranda with my very wild children and we watched loggerhead turtles coming up for air. At low tide we scrambled across the rocks and found secret coral gardens in soft pinks and greens; like pastel alien worlds swaying in the tide.
But if I sit on the narrow veranda long enough, I’ll see something I don’t want to see. I’ll see a man in a boat pull up alongside a floating drum. I’ll see the man pulling on a rope. I’ll see the lifeless body of a tiger shark dragged from the sea; hooked on a long, baited drum line where it’s been left to drown. Where I come from, drum lines and blanket nets catch 700 sharks a year. But they also entangle whales, dolphins and turtles. The Minister says it’s to keep swimmers safe (she sounds like the Mayor in Jaws). In my mind, it’s a little like shooting lions in the Serengeti so that you can safely go for a stroll.
There are many of us – legions of good folk – who care about treading lightly upon this earth. I’m buoyed with hope that the next generation will do it even better. Especially, as more debut authors like Jessica Courtney-Tickle come along; a genuine talent with a passion for creating stories that inspire us all to do the right thing. ‘The Unexpected Visitor’ is Jessica’s first picture book, about a lonely little fisherman who has always caught more fish than he needs, just in case he gets a visitor. But when a visitor (a beautiful blue whale) suddenly arrives, the fish are nowhere to be found.
“I don’t understand,” said the little fisherman. “The sea is always full of fish. I catch so many I have to throw most of them in the bin.”
‘The Unexpected Visitor’ is about friendship, taking only what you need and above all else, caring for the creatures in our ocean. And it’s almost certainly a conversation starter. A chance to talk about sustainability or for your little ones to ask questions about how each of us can make a difference in the everyday choices we make. Jessica’s writing is simple and heart-warming. She doesn’t stand on a soapbox; the story says everything that needs to be said. And her illustrations shimmer and glisten like the fish she describes. It’s sea-salt-misty and perfect for bedtime. What’s more, the first words you read when you open this book are ‘we are forest friendly’ – the paper is sustainably sourced.
“So with his friend by his side, the little fisherman went back and told his story.”
Stories can open your eyes and make your heart bigger. I hope this little fisherman makes it into lots of little hands, so that together, we can sort out this very big problem.
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