Koala

An immersive, entertaining journey into the hidden life of the koala, revealing what life is really like up in the trees.

Clode is a master at popularising science and making the complex understandable ... An important book that focuses on the koala but is really an impassioned and informed plea for the conservation of Australia's flora, fauna, and wild places. This is natural history and science writing at its best. -Peter Menkhorst, Australian Book Review

Winner of Popular Ecology Award at the 2023 Whitley Awards

Despite their iconic status and celebrity, koalas remain something of a mystery. Often affectionate in captivity, they seek out human assistance when in need of water or care yet can also be fierce and belligerent. They are beloved worldwide and feature in popular children's stories, but are also plagued by sexually transmitted diseases and maligned for a lack of intelligence. Their diet consists solely of leaves that are full of toxins. In some states, they are threatened with extinction, while in others, they are dying from overpopulation.

Fuelled by her biologist's background and deep curiosity, Danielle Clode delves into the world of koalas to discover what's behind the sweet face on thousands of postcards. From their megafaunal ancestors to the disastrous effects of colonisation, from remarkable conservation success in the 1920s to the devastating bushfires of 2019-2020, Clode tells the story of koalas and their complex relationship with humans. Sharing the latest scientific insights and myth-busting facts, all woven through Clode's award-winning storytelling, Koala takes readers up into the trees to reveal the truth about this extraordinary animal and what must be done to ensure its survival.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book go towards supporting wildlife conservation efforts in Australia.

A vividly written and thoroughly researched celebration of the lives of koalas. Filled with fascinating and often surprising information, the book is also an invitation to honour and protect these extraordinary animals. -David George Haskell

... the humility of her approach encourages us to interrogate the koala information, or lore, even as we receive it, thus promoting the kind of active reading that must surely enhance the way we go on to experience the landscape around us. -Gregory Day, The Saturday Age

Danielle Clode is one of our great nature writers - she knows the science from the inside and can systematically lay out masses of information in easily digestible form. But she can also be poetic, evocative and moving. -Nick Mattiske, Insights Magazine