Where's Stripey? Australia's Favourite Emu Chick
Illustration of Stripey the emu chick upside down from Where's Stripey? by Wendy Binks, published by Stunned Emu Press.

Twenty-one years. 180,000 copies.

It's hard to believe it's been 21 years since a little striped emu chick first went missing on Fair Dinkum Flats – and set off on an adventure that would take him from Fremantle to the world.

As part of the BBC Worldwide CBeebies story time series, Shane Jacobson reads 'Where's Stripey? Find out more and watch the video


small child colouring in

Open to every budding artist.

Let the colouring commence!

Enter the Stripey colouring-in competition

Got a little artist in the house? This one's for them. Download Stripey's colouring sheets, colour him in however the mood takes them – careful and neat, or bright and gloriously out of the lines – and go in the draw to win a Where's Stripey? prize pack. Wendy can't wait to see every emu in every colour under the sun.

All coloured in? Snap a photo of the finished masterpiece and upload it using the form below to enter.



Child wearing paper crown

It's Stripey's birthday – pop on your FREE paper crown 👑

Our favourite little emu chick is having a birthday – and what's a birthday without a crown?

Download Stripey's paper crown for free, print it out, and let the kids colour him in however they like.

Careful crayons, bright textas, a bit of glitter if you're feeling brave – there's no wrong way to do it. Cut it out, pop it on, and you've got one very regal little emu fan ready to party.

Free to download.
Made to be coloured.
Best worn with a great big grin.


Where's Stripey? on British Telly: Shane Jacobson Reads Aloud

A proper treat for any Stripey fan – beloved Aussie actor Shane Jacobson reading Where's Stripey? aloud on CBeebies, the BBC's much-loved kids' programme. Press play, settle in with the little ones, and let Shane do the storytelling.


Wendy Binks painting a Stripey emu mural in the corridor of the children's ward at Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia

Small emu. Big story.

On Stage, on Screen, and on Hospital Walls

Where's Stripey? was Wendy's debut picture book, published in 2005. Within a year it had won the WA Premier's Literary Award for Children's Books. It's been read aloud on BBC's CBeebies by Shane Jacobson, performed live on stages from Canberra to Caloundra, and its artwork now brightens the children's ward at Fiona Stanley Hospital. And the little emu just keeps going.

Wendy Binks illustration of emu dad Crikey surrounded by 30 striped emu chicks from the Australian children's picture book Where's Stripey?

One missing chick. One big adventure.

The story that has made Where's Stripey? one of Australia's most loved Children's Picture Books

Imagine keeping track of 30 small emu chicks running here, there and everywhere. That's exactly the job of Crikey, their devoted emu dad – and when one chick goes missing, the search is on. Where's Stripey? is a gentle, joyful story about family, belonging, and the heart-stopping moment when someone you love is lost – and then found. It's gorgeous out loud. Perfect for ages 2–6, and genuinely just as lovely for the grown-up doing the reading.