It’s one of those Australian names for an animal I’d never seen before, right? The book turned out to be just as charming as the cover, and through it whole generations of American children have learned some basic facts about Vombatus ursinus.
Mind you, I did not know what a wombat was. I was in a bookstore perusing the picture book titles when I was struck by the image of Bruce Whatley’s ridiculously adorable wombat dead asleep on its side, a pile of carrots sitting nearby. I remember where I was the first time I read Jackie French’s Diary of a Wombat. (Aug.Clarion Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) And those curious about other animals' activities can explore Diary of a Worm The often cuddly looking wombat may leave some readers envious of its languid lifestyle. The artist gives the star expressive eyes without anthropomorphizing her.
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. 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").
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. 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. After explaining his unique Australian heritage, the star of this volume paints a funny, if rather dull, picture of his daily routine. 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.
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