Once, at the edge of the sea by Sue Saliba. Illus. by Ann Shenfield

Beautiful and painful are the memories of what was 'once, at the edge of the sea', little hooded plover chicks just hatched and teetering on the edge of existence. Alice had watched over them each day, until the day of the betrayal. Leaving Philip Island and travelling to Melbourne to study, she carries the memory of those precious fragile chicks.

This is a beautiful gentle story of young people struggling to find their way, just like the little birds in the natural world. In her writing class, Alice meets Esmeralda, a seeming soul mate, but their friendship is also fragile, and suffers from hesitancy and misunderstandings. There is a contrast between free spirit Esmeralda and the thoughtful more cautious Alice, trying to work out whether she should be Alexandra, a more sensible version of herself. Both girls have their own inner concerns to work out.

The writing is free flowing like poetry that wanders across the page and includes exquisite light touches of illustrations of nature, birds and bird footprints. A lovely book, to be enjoyed and re-read.

Sue Saliba is a previous winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award. Her novels Alaska and For the forest of a bird have been recommended in ReadPlus reviews. This latest book is just as captivating.

Themes: Identity, Coming of age, Self expression, Nature, Caring for the environment.

Helen Eddy