Entertainment
12 October, 2025
Wildlife book launch
YOUNG readers and wildlife enthusiasts have filled Cairns Library for the launch of ‘Curious Kai Asks Why’, the latest middle-grade book by award-winning Sunshine Coast author and wildlife conservationist Dr Sarah Pye.
The launch featured appearances from wildlife experts, including entomologist Matthew Connors, ecologist Maree Treadwell from the Bats and Tree Society of Cairns and Dr Graham Lauridsen, a leading cassowary specialist. Attendees enjoyed hands-on activities, such as creating animal masks and learning fascinating facts about cassowaries, praying mantises and spectacled flying foxes.
Curious Kai Asks Why follows the adventures of 10-year-old Kai, a curious girl with endless questions about Australian wildlife. Accompanied by her artistic mum in a camper trailer, Kai travels across Queensland in search of scientists and species, hoping the answers she uncovers will help her protect the environment. Dr Pye said her goal was to connect children to nature through storytelling while giving a platform to some of Queensland’s incredible wildlife scientists.
Curious Kai Asks Why is available at bookstores, libraries and online at: www.bit.ly/3Wrt6uK
