This is the third book dedicated to the koala that I have reviewed in ABR in the past fourteen years. That level of attention says much about the place we hold in our hearts for this endearing marsupial. It also relates to the fascinating natural and social history of the koala, along with the wildlife management conundrums it throws up. The koala is probably the most widely recognised of Australia’s animal species. It is also probably the most studied of our roughly 380 mammalian species, so there is a strong knowledge foundation around which to build a good story.

The first two books I reviewed – by Stephen Jackson (2007) and Ann Moyal (2008) – are fine works that thoroughly cover the natural and social history of the koala as it was then understood. However, they are rather academic in their approach and thus narrow in their appeal. By contrast, Danielle Clode takes a more relaxed and engaging approach, deftly maintaining scientific accuracy and credibility as she brings us up to date with the rapidly expanding scientific literature. She ranges widely across koala ecology, evolution, anatomy, physiology, reproduction, diseases, and conservation. Further, she doesn’t hesitate to take the reader on side excursions into related topics such as the fossil history of marsupials, Holocene environmental fluctuations, the evolution of eucalypts, and Aboriginal prehistory. Do not be put off if this subject matter sounds technical – Clode is a master at popularising science and making the complex understandable.