Book Week is nearly here
Classrooms across Perth and Western Australia will soon be filling with stories, costumes, creativity and more than a few last-minute requests for something to wear. In fact, for many schools “Book Week” has quietly become “Book Month”, a few weeks of parades, author talks, library displays and classroom projects rather than a single day. That means there’s more time than ever to bring genuine literacy value into the celebrations, not just a costume.
Luckily, Stripey is ready to help, and this Book Week, he’s got something extra to celebrate: 2026 marks his 21st year.
Created by Fremantle children’s author and illustrator Wendy Binks, Stripey the Emu turns 21 this year and has spent every one of those years making young readers laugh, look closely and fall in love with Australian animals. This Book Week, children can become part of Stripey’s mob with a free downloadable Stripey mask to make at school or at home, alongside a set of classroom activities designed to extend the fun into real literacy and creative learning.
"I still remember the very first time a little boy pointed and said, 'Look, it's Stripey!' I had no idea then that I'd ever do another book – let alone still be here 21 years on."
Quick facts
- Author & illustrator: Wendy Binks, Fremantle, Western Australia
- Character: Stripey the Emu, celebrating his 21st year in 2026
- Book: Where’s Stripey? 180,000+ copies sold and counting
- Recognition: Western Australian Premier’s Book Award 2005, Where's Stripey?
- Free resource: Downloadable Stripey mask for Book Week, classrooms and
homeschool - Best for: Early learners to lower-middle primary; Perth and WA schools; libraries
and homeschool groups - Coming soon: In Your Dreams, the much-anticipated fourth Stripey book,
currently in the final stages of writing and illustration
Who Is Wendy Binks?
Wendy Binks is a Fremantle-based children’s author, illustrator and creator whose work draws deeply on Western Australia’s wildlife, coastline and bush landscapes. Her picture books introduce young readers to distinctly Australian characters and settings, blending gentle humour with the kind of detailed illustrations that reward children for looking closely at every page.
Wendy’s storytelling has resonated with teachers and families for good reason
Her books don’t just entertain; they build observation skills, vocabulary and a genuine curiosity about the animals and places children encounter in their own backyards.
For Western Australian classrooms in particular, her stories offer something that imported picture books rarely can, a setting children actually recognise. Wendy’s contribution to Australian children’s literature has been recognised with a Western Australian Premier’s Book Award, cementing her place among the state’s respected children’s authors and illustrators.
For teachers and librarians, this matters beyond Book Week
Programmes curating Book Week reading lists, author visit schedules or library collections often look for creators with a demonstrated track record and community recognition, and Wendy’s award history, alongside 21 years of Stripey’s popularity in classrooms, gives educators confidence when recommending her books or booking her for a school visit.
"When I walk into a classroom and see a whole room of kids dressed as Stripey, I feel very humbled. He's actually got into their hearts. You just don't realise the impact one little character can have on a child."
Meet Stripey
The book has gone on to sell more than 180,000 copies, making Stripey one of Wendy’s most recognised and enduring characters and a firm favourite in home and school libraries across Australia. The story follows a mischievous emu chick who wanders off from his mob, encouraging children to look carefully, follow visual clues and search each page to find him. It’s a simple premise, but one that has kept generations of young readers engaged, page after page.
The Illustrations: Colour, Character and the Backyard Outside Your Window
Part of why Where’s Stripey? has stayed so beloved across 21 years comes down to the artwork itself.
Wendy Binks paints every page by hand, and it shows; the colours are warm and sun-bleached in the way the Australian bush and coastline actually look, not the flatter, imported palette children see in a lot of picture books. That warmth matters. Children don’t just recognise Stripey because he’s an emu; they connect with him because of how he’s drawn. A tilt of the head, a wide-eyed expression, and a huddle of feathers all say something about how Stripey is feeling on that page, long before a child can read the words around him. It’s a gentle, wordless kind of storytelling, and it’s one of the reasons even very young children, well before they’re reading independently, can follow along and feel the story.
The flora and fauna throughout the book are just as deliberate. Look closely and you’ll
spot banksias, grass trees, coastal scrub and the kind of dusty green-and-gold bushland
colour palette that’s instantly familiar to any West Australian child who’s been on a family walk, a school excursion or a weekend at the beach.
The animals aren’t generic either
Quokkas, cockatoos, wrens and other bush and coastal creatures appear exactly as they do in real life, giving children a private thrill of recognition: I’ve seen that bird. I know that plant. That’s my backyard.
This is where the emotional connection really happens. A child doesn’t need to be told
that Stripey is worried, curious or relieved, they can see it in his posture and
expression, and they can place him in a landscape they already know by heart. For
teachers, that combination of emotional literacy and local visual recognition makes the
book a natural fit for discussions about feelings, empathy and “reading” a picture as
closely as a sentence, as well as an easy bridge into science and nature units on WA
plants and animals.
Why Teachers Love Stripey
Teachers and librarians return to Stripey year after year for reasons that go well beyond a cute character. The book and its activities support:
- Visual literacy: children practise scanning, comparing and identifying details across a busy page.
- Observation skills: searching for Stripey trains the same close-looking habits
used in reading comprehension. - Storytelling and sequencing: the “missing chick” narrative gives young writers
a ready-made structure to build on. - Creativity: an open-ended character like Stripey invites students to imagine new
settings and adventures. - Australian wildlife education: the emu, and the broader cast of Australian
animals in Wendy’s books, offer a natural entry point into discussions about local
ecosystems. -
Classroom engagement: a well-loved, low-effort character is an easy way to
bring enthusiasm into a Book Week week that can otherwise feel like a scramble
for costumes and props.
The Free Book Week Mask
To make this Book Week even easier for busy classrooms, Wendy has illustrated a special free downloadable Stripey. Masks are available for teachers, librarians and families.
The mask is an easy, low-cost activity ideal for:
- Book Week classroom activities in Perth and WA schools
- Library craft sessions
- Early learning centres
- Homeschool activities
- Australian animal lessons
- Book Week dress-up days
- Wet-weather classroom activities
How to use it: simply download the mask, print it, colour it in and cut it out. Children
can create their own version of Stripey or use colours inspired by Wendy’s original
cheeky emu character. Adult assistance is recommended when cutting out the mask and
attaching the elastic or craft stick
Hint: Pair it with a black & white striped top and a few feathers, and suddenly there's another cheeky emu loose in the classroom!
10 Classroom Activities Inspired by Stripey
The downloadable mask is just the starting point.
Here are ten simple ways teachers and librarians can extend Stripey into a broader Book Week learning experience:
-
Create a New Stripey Adventure: Ask students to imagine where Stripey might
wander next. Would he explore the school grounds, visit a Perth landmark, head
into the bush or cause trouble at the beach? Students can draw a setting, write a
short story, or contribute a page to a class book. - Design an Australian animal character: invite children to create their own cheeky Australian animal character: a quokka, wombat, cockatoo, frog or another favourite. Give it a name, a personality and a mini adventure.
- Play a classroom game: hide a picture of Stripey somewhere in the room or library and give students clues to find him. Older students can write their own clues or design a search-and-find page for a classmate.
- Talk About Local Authors and Illustrators: Use Stripey’s story to explore how
authors and illustrators work together, and pictures can reveal details. emotions or jokes that the written text doesn’t spell out. - Retell the Story in Sequence: Have younger students put picture cards from
Where’s Stripey? in order, practising sequencing and narrative structure. - Write a Class “Missing” Poster: In small groups, students write a playful “missing” notice for Stripey, describing his appearance and last known whereabouts, a fun way to practise descriptive writing.
- Map Stripey’s Journey: Older students can sketch a simple map showing where
Stripey might have wandered, labelling landmarks and features along the way. - Australian Wildlife Research Corner: Set up a small display or worksheet activity where students research real emus and other Australian animals that appear in Wendy’s books.
- Class Mask Parade: Once masks are made, hold a short in-class parade or photo
moment, giving every child a chance to show off their version of Stripey. - Author Study Discussion: Introduce students to Wendy Binks as a real, local author, and talk about what inspires her stories, a gentle first step into understanding where books come from.
Why Australian Stories Matter
There’s something different about a story set somewhere a child recognises.
When the animals, the light, the coastline or the bush in a picture book match a child’s own experience, the story becomes easier to connect with and easier to learn from.
Local stories like Where’s Stripey? give Western Australian children a chance to see their own environment reflected on the page, while introducing them to a real, working author from their own community. For teachers building learning around Australian wildlife, sustainability or “our local area", a book like this does double duty: it’s a genuine reading experience and a launching point for broader classroom learning.
Research on early literacy consistently points to the value of “windows and mirrors” in
children’s reading, stories that let children see worlds different from their own, and stories that reflect their own lives back at them. For many WA students, imported picture books offer plenty of the former but very little of the latter. A story featuring an emu chick wandering a landscape that looks like its own school oval, coastline or bushland fills that gap in a way that’s hard to replicate with an overseas title.
There’s also a quieter benefit for schools: supporting a local, independent children’s author helps sustain the broader ecosystem of Australian publishing and storytelling. Every classroom that reads Where’s Stripey?, downloads the mask, or books an author visit is helping keep locally created stories in circulation for the next generation of readers.
Print the mask for your class, library group or family, and let the children colour, create and join Stripey’s mob.
What’s Next for Stripey
Stripey’s story isn’t finished yet.
The much-anticipated fourth book in the Stripey series, In Your Dreams, is currently in the final stages of being written and illustrated by Wendy Binks, with more details to be shared closer to release.
Want to be the first to know when In Your Dreams is released?
For teachers, librarians and families who’ve followed Stripey through Where’s Stripey? and the books that followed, this is the perfect Book Week to introduce a new generation of readers to the series, so they’re ready and waiting when In Your Dreams lands on shelves.
Get in touch or follow Wendy Binks’ updates for release news, classroom resources and author visit availability.
Bringing Wendy Binks to Your School
For schools looking to take Book Week a step further, Wendy Binks offers author visits
that bring her stories, characters and creative process directly into the classroom. An author visit is a natural next step after a Stripey adventure, giving students the chance to meet the person behind the book, ask questions and see first-hand how a story like Where’s Stripey? comes together from idea to illustration to finished page.
Book Week, or Book Month, as it’s fast becoming, is the perfect excuse to bring a little more Australian storytelling into the classroom.
Teachers interested in booking a visit for their school or library can get in touch to check availability throughout the year.
Download the free Stripey mask.
Explore Wendy Binks’ free downloadable resources for more classroom activities.
