Scribbly Gum Secrets

All illustrations on this page by Megan Forward

The pages of Scribbly Gum Secrets are full of native treasures.

Charcoal & watercolour illustrations are full of movement & show the biodiversity of the Brisbane region (where this story is based) filled with flora & fauna including; blue-banded bees, carpet pythons, birdwing butterflies, flying foxes, flowering lemon-myrtle, bush stone curlews & of course, the iconic scribbly gum trees.

A unique feature of the artwork within Scribbly Gum Secrets is the use of botanical photography in the cover design & some internal pages. The storytelling in this book involves all five senses: touch, taste, sight, sound & smell.

This book encourages eco-awareness in children in a gentle, joyful way. Older readers will delight in finding ‘secret’ words scribbled in the trees & other native treasures hidden within the pages.

It is ideally recommended for children aged 5 – 10 to enjoy… though are we ever too old for a good picture book?

Reviews of Scribbly Gum Secrets

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Teacher’s Notes

Scribbly Gum Secrets is one of those extra dimension books, where the reader feels like they have been invited into a secret intriguing world. There are hidden gems waiting to be discovered beyond the initial glance of the pages.

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JULIE BERTOLA – CBCA READING TIME

Scribbly Gum STEAM

WORKSHOPS

Eco-fact + Eco-fiction = Eco-FUN!

AGE GROUP Prep – Year 6
Can be adapted to other year levels & adult learning

Working with Scribbly Gum Secrets by Dannika Patterson & Megan Forward as a reference text, participants will discover how fact, fiction, science & art can come together in a picture book...and in life.

This multi-modal workshop fosters creativity, sustainability & ecological awareness for children in a gentle, joyful & highly interactive way.
Using working examples from the making of Scribbly Gum Secrets, participants will be invited to hypothesize, problem-solve, experiment & get creative.
They'll learn how our iconic scribbly gum trees get their marks through an engaging mix of story, science & art. Curriculum-links built into this workshops include; narrative writing, poetry, science inquiry skills, eco- systems, life-cycles, biology, five senses & growth of trees (engineering & design in nature).
Children are invited to LOOK, TOUCH, FEEL, TASTE & SMELL this story, via a sensory discovery station.
Children LOVE the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of the creators of Scribbly Gum Secrets.

This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.

♻️

Book a Scribbly Gum STEAM workshop

This is a delightful adventure that stimulates awareness about the beauty to be found in Australia's natural surroundings. It encourages children to explore the outdoors & become environmentally friendly while learning about the role & contribution of each living thing in the world around them.

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KIDS’ BOOK REIVEW

Megan Forward

Illustrated by

Megan works predominantly in the mediums of watercolour, gouache, collage, pencil, & ink on paper.

Megan has illustrated six children's picture books to date, including two she collaborated on with Dannika Patterson, Scribbly Gum Secrets & Jacaranda Magic. She is passionate about engendering a love of nature through art & literature.