Sydney of the Antarctic

Sydney Walton Mouse dreams of a life of adventure. Most of all, he wants to go to the Antarctica, where it is wild and white and wonderful. Then one day, Sydney's dream comes true. But when the great Russian icebreaker sails away without him, Sydney is all alone in the Antarctic wilderness. Together with his friends Sydney embarks on the greatest adventure of his life.

Based on true story, this tale of loss and belonging is reminiscent of Scott's adventures in the Antarctic. Coral Tulloch has created a story that will engage the hearts and minds of children of all ages.


The Story Behind the Book

On the 17th of February 2005, Coral Tulloch accidentally left Sydney Walton Mouse, her cherished toy of 43 years in Antarctica.

Late one night, as her ship sailed away from Cape Evans in Antarctica, Coral realised that Sydney had been left behind. Devastated, she emailed Scott Base and sent through a fax showing a drawing of Sydney, a personality profile and a mud map of where he was. Her ship was the last of the season to visit the area and no one would be venturing out to the Cape until the light returned in the Spring. When word got out that Sydney was left behind, passengers placed down their own credit cards for Coral to hire the ship's helicopters to return to rescue Sydney, but the weather was against them and so it was days before they could get to the iceberg. Sadly, Sydney was nowhere to be found.

Since then Coral has returned to Cape Evans twice in search of Sydney, but with no luck. It has now become an 'International incident' with Antarctic New Zealand involved as well. Coral hopes that Sydney may one day be found.

Coral Tulloch has written over 50 books for children. A recipient of an Antarctic Arts Fellowship, Coral researched, wrote and illustrated a factual work based on her experiences, titled 'Antarctica: The Heart of the World' which won The Environment Award for Children's Literature in 2004. Since then, her love fro the Antarctic has continued, voyaging several times back to the continent as artist-in-residence on tourism expeditions. She lives in Hobart, Tasmania, with her husband, Peter and daughter Tully.

ABC Books
Author: Coral Tulloch
ISBN: 9780733321597
RRP: $27.95
Sydney of the Antarctic is available through ABC Shops, ABC Centres, leading video retailers or online at www.abcshop.com.au