Diary of a Wombat

ANNOTATION

In his diary, a wombat describes his life of eating, sleeping, and getting to know some new human neighbors.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times

Together, French and Whatley have conjured an affectionate, believable wombat self-portrait. — Bryn Barnard

Publishers Weekly

What, exactly, do wombats do all day? One enterprising wombat answers that question and a few others in diary form in French's (No Such Thing) tongue-in-cheek picture book. After explaining his unique Australian heritage, the star of this volume paints a funny, if rather dull, picture of his daily routine. "Monday Morning: Slept./ Afternoon: Slept./ Evening: Ate grass./ Scratched./ Night: Ate grass." Things begin to perk up, however, when the wombat discovers its new human neighbors. Before long, the always-hungry creature is at their door begging for food (preferably carrots or oats), digging in their garden ("Began new hole in soft dirt") and turning his neighbors' belongings into scratching posts. Happily, the human family appears to take the antics of their adopted wild "pet" in stride (though the wombat sees things a bit differently "Have decided that humans are easily trained and make quite good pets"). Whatley (the Detective Donut books) appears to relish this character study; he paints the chocolate-brown wombat in numerous poses and expressions-rolling, scratching, sleeping, chewing-on an ample white background. The artist gives the star expressive eyes without anthropomorphizing her. The often cuddly looking wombat may leave some readers envious of its languid lifestyle. And those curious about other animals' activities can explore Diary of a Worm (reviewed below). Ages 4-7. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Sharon Levin

In Diary of a Wombat, we get to tag along on the exciting life of a wombat. Fasten your seatbelts while I give you a sample-"Monday. Morning: Slept. Afternoon: Slept. Evening: Ate grass. Scratched. Night: Ate grass. Slept." These pages are accompanied by Bruce Whatley's (he did one of my favorite books, Wait, No Paint!) illustrations of an adorable little wombat munching on grass or sleeping with a blissful smile on her face. By Wednesday excitement has hit the neighborhood because humans have moved in and the wombat finds a lovely dust bath right next to their barbecue (yum, gritty kanga burgers). Life gets exciting after lunch when she discovers a "flat, hairy creature invading my territory" and has a battle with it, which she wins (it's a welcome mat) and she demands a reward from the humans and gets a carrot. In order to get more carrots later, she chews a hole in their back door. On Thursday, when she returns to the back door this is what happens-"Evening: Demanded carrots. No response. Tried yesterday's hole. Curiously resistant to my paws." and the illustration shows her little dejected wombat body sitting in front of a door with boards hammered across it. I love that language! Bruce Whatley's illustrations, with their wonderful use of white space and endearing wombat make this a book you'll want to read and look at again and again. Too bad he is Australian or this book would be my Caldecott pick for the year (the Caldecott and Newbery are only for American authors). I did test this book out with a class of first and second graders and it was a HUGE hit! Apparently the kids couldn't stop talking about it at home, since the parents kept asking me where they could findthis wonderful book (your local independent bookstore, say I). 2003, Clarion Books, Ages 4 to 7.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Through simple sentences and hilarious yet realistic acrylic illustrations, readers are treated to a week of observations made by a young female wombat who becomes chummy with a human family. The diarist's obsessions with sleep and carrots allow a rest from heavier chuckles over a confrontation with a welcome mat: "Discovered flat, hairy creature invading my territory. Fought major battle with flat, hairy creature. Won battle. Neighbors should be pleased. Demanded a reward." French's text, in Kid's Stuff Plain font, also indirectly informs on habitat and wombats' nocturnal lifestyle. Whatley gives a sublime balance of the adorable charm of the creature, along with its drawbacks as an acquaintance. This title will team nicely with Margaret Spurling's Bilby Moon (Kane/Miller, 2001) for studies of Australian wildlife.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews