A PICTURE BOOK AGES 5 - 9 YEARS

BOOK BLURBI am the last of my kind. This I know.Once, we roamed the land. We owned the land. We called it Home. But strange creatures came to take itfrom us…

Stripes in the Forest is the story of aniconic species lost. Told from theperspective of the last wild, femalethylacine, it provides readers with aninsight into the rare beauty anduniqueness of these amazing animalsand explains their fight for survival andprovides important lessons for futuregenerations.

BUY THE BOOKPurchase the book atwww.bigskypublishing.com.au.

You can also find more ClassroomResources on Aleesah Darlison's websitewww.aleesahdarlison.com.

INCLUSIONSAbout the AuthorThylacine Fact SheetWriting Exercise - Visual LanguageLife Cycle Drawing ActivityThylacine Word Search

CLASSROOM RESOURCE

P R E P A R E D B Y A L E E S A H D A R L I S O NW W W . A L E E S A H D A R L I S O N . C O M

ABOUT THE AUTHORA l e e s a h D a r l i s o n

B Y A L E E S A H D A R L I S O N

Aleesah Darlison is an award-winning author of over 50 books forchildren. She has won or been shortlisted for numerous awardsincluding the Environment Award for Children’s Literature, theCBCA Eve Pownall Award, and the Speech Pathology Book ofthe Year Awards. Many of Aleesah’s books champion the causeof animals, the environment, and child self-empowerment.

STRIPES IN THE FORESTTHE STORY OF THE LAST WILD THYLACINE

R E P A R E D B Y A L E E S A H D A R L I S O NW W W . A L E E S A H D A R L I S O N . C O M

Fast Fact!Although likened to bothdogs and cats, thylacinesare, in fact, marsupials.

THYLACINE FACT SHEETT h y l a c i n e s w e r e y e l l o w - b r o w n o r g r e y i n c o l o u r . T h e y h a d a r o u n d 1 5 - 2 0 d a r k s t r i p e s a c r o s s t h e i r b a c k .T h e t h y l a c i n e i s a l s o k n o w n a s t h e T a s m a n i a n t i g e r .O t h e r n a m e s i n c l u d e :

m a r s u p i a l w o l fz e b r a w o l fk a n g a r o o w o l fm a r s u p i a l t i g e rt i g e r c a th y e n a o p o s s u m T a s m a n i a n p o u c h e d w o l f .

T h e i r h e a d w a s s h a p e d l i k e a d o g ’ s , a n d t h e y h a d a s t i f f t a i l a n d s h o r t l e g s .B o t h m a l e a n d f e m a l e t h y l a c i n e s h a d a b a c k - o p e n i n g p o u c h .F e m a l e t h y l a c i n e s u s u a l l y g a v e b i r t h t o l i t t e r s o f f o u r p u p s . Y o u n g w e r e b o r n h a i r l e s s a n d b l i n d .T h y l a c i n e s w e r e c a r n i v o r o u s . T h e y a t e k a n g a r o o s , m a r s u p i a l s , s m a l l r o d e n t s ,a n d b i r d s .T h y l a c i n e s h u n t e d a t n i g h t , a l t h o u g h t h e y w e r e a l s o a c t i v e d u r i n g t h e d a y .F o s s i l i s e d t h y l a c i n e s h a v e b e e n f o u n d i n V i c t o r i a , S o u t h A u s t r a l i a , W e s t e r nA u s t r a l i a a n d Q u e e n s l a n d . S o m e f o s s i l s d a t e b a c k t h i r t y m i l l i o n y e a r s .T h y l a c i n e s o n c e i n h a b i t e d m a i n l a n d A u s t r a l i a , N e w G u i n e a a n d T a s m a n i a ,b u t w e r e e v e n t u a l l y c o n f i n e d t o T a s m a n i a .T h e l a s t k n o w n t h y l a c i n e d i e d i n c a p t i v i t y o n 7 S e p t e m b e r , 1 9 3 6 .N a t i o n a l T h r e a t e n e d S p e c i e s D a y i s h e l d o n 7 S e p t e m b e r t o c o m m e m o r a t et h e d e a t h o f t h e l a s t k n o w n t h y l a c i n e .

WRITING EXERCISE - VISUAL LANGUAGER e a d t h e t e x t o f S t r i p e s i n t h e F o r e s t , t a k i n g n o t e o f t h e a c c o m p a n y i n g i l l u s t r a t i o n s b yt h e a r t i s t , S h a n e M c G r a t h . L o o k a t P a g e 1 . D i s c u s s t h e g r a p h i c s w i t h t h e c l a s s , t h e n w r i t ed o w n w h y y o u t h i n k t h e s a i l i n g s h i p h a s b e e n i n c l u d e d .

L o o k a t t h e i m a g e o f t h e t h y l a c i n e o n P a g e 1 1 . W r i t e d o w n w h a t f e e l i n g s a r e b e i n ge x p r e s s e d i n t h i s i l l u s t r a t i o n .

R E P A R E D B Y A L E E S A H D A R L I S O NW W W . A L E E S A H D A R L I S O N . C O M

Look at the i l lustrat ion on Page 12. What do you think the thylacine is saying? Why do you think i tmight be sad?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

THYLACINE LIFE CYCLED r a w a p i c t u r e i n e a c h o f t h e f o u r b o x e s b e l o w t o r e p r e s e n t w h a t ' s h a p p e n i n g a t e a c hp o i n t o f t h e t h y l a c i n e ' s l i f e c y c l e . R e m e m b e r : t h y l a c i n e s w e r e m a r s u p i a l s , s o w h e n f i r s tb o r n , t h e y w o u l d h a v e l o o k e d s i m i l a r t o k a n g a r o o o r k o a l a j o e y s .

R E P A R E D B Y A L E E S A H D A R L I S O NW W W . A L E E S A H D A R L I S O N . C O M

Female thylacines gavebirth to four pups.

The pups stayed intheir mother's pouchfor several months.

As the pups grew,their mother taught

them to hunt.

When the pupsreached maturity, theyleft home and set up aterritory of their own.

P R E P A R E D B Y A L E E S A H D A R L I S O NW W W . A L E E S A H D A R L I S O N . C O M

THYLACINE WORD SEARCH

Find these words in the grid above:BENJAMIN

CARNIVOREENDANGEREDEXTINCTION

FORESTJAWS

MAINLANDMAMMAL

MARSUPIALNATIVE

NOCTURNALPOUCHPUPS

STRIPESTAIL

TASMANIA

THREATENEDTHYLACINE

TIGERWALLABY

WILDZOO