Overview
This is an inspiring tale about one girl and her fight to make a difference for koalas. When Rose and Gran save a baby koala from a pack of blood-hungry dogs, he’s named Smooch because he loves to cuddle. With the help of wildlife caretaker Carol, Rose and her dog Lizzie look after Smooch until he is old enough to make the trees on their strawberry farm his home. Rose is deliciously happy—caring for bush babies is her dream come true. But things change for the worse when Gran gets a letter from the bank. Does this mean they have to sell the farm? Then Uncle Malcolm mentions bulldozers and Rose realizes it’s not just her home that’s at stake. Rose has a voice and wants to make a difference but what can one girl and her koala do? Like Gran always said, things don’t have to be big to be special.Author Biography
Samantha Wheeler’s first story took shape during a writing course at the Queensland Writers Centre and was accepted into the inaugural Allen & Unwin Children’s Manuscript Development Program in 2010. She went on to have a short story published in the anthology, One Book Many Brisbanes.