The Thylacine and the Time Machine
By Renée Treml
Reviewed by Mia Macrossan
Renée has degrees in biology and environmental science, and her passionate love of natural history shines through in this fascinating, information rich, graphic examination of the history and possible future of the Tasmanian tiger or thylacine.
Violet falls asleep while working on her school project, ‘The De-extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger’, when she is woken up by a ghostly thylacine who takes her on a journey through time. What follows is a scientific adventure where, through multiple time jumps, Violet learns about its history, habitat and unusual physiology. She and the reader learn how the colonists projected thylacines as fierce predators, offering bounties for every dead one. Through question and answer Violet and the reader learns why it is unlikely that there are still thylacines left in remote parts of Tasmania.
A time jump brings her to the present in Melbourne where Violet has a conversation with a scientist about the complex process of cloning one. Another time jump to the future where possible scenarios for living thylacines are explored. It is here that Renée raises some ethical questions about the cost of the research, the need to save current endangered animals, and what it means if thylacines came back. (For them to survive the wilderness in Tasmania has to be protected and this would help a lot of plants and animals too).
Violet realises that ‘there’s way more to it than just DNA and thylacines’ and this dense book, jam packed with information, is one step towards understanding all that is involved. The graphic novel format allows for many questions and answers where the visuals present much complex material in a child friendly way. Using Violet and her homework project as the vehicle for exploration makes it more accessible to young readers and brings this important topic to a wider audience. .
Renée writes with knowledge and enthusiasm and is adept at presenting complex information in a non daunting way, keeping the reader engaged throughout. Her jokes and asides keep the mood light, and also explain technical terms such as ‘convergent evolution, bioengineering, and more.
This is an essential resource for anyone interested in the history and future of the Tasmanian Tiger and raises many important questions about our use of the environment, treatment of animals, and the future of our world. Recommended particularly for schools and all children with enquiring minds.
Renée Treml
