Product Description

A wombat's work is never done! Take a trip with a wombat, and discover the ins and outs of her day in this modern classic Australian picture book. There are holes to be dug and territory to be defended -- and don't forget all the eating and sleeping that needs to be squeezed in too!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #345872 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-09
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .0 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Books in Canada
This is a delightful book for young readers. Little wombat’s days consist of simple activities-eating, playing and sleeping, but each day she finds some new way to amuse herself and thereby introduce a small measure of chaos around her. She tears to shreds the doormat of a nearby home, then chews a hole through the kitchen door because the people inside don’t respond to her demands for carrots. When she finds the hole boarded up the next day, she bangs up the garbage can until her demands are met. She digs a hole in the flower garden in order to make herself new sleeping quarters. Next, she overturns a ladder with a can of paint at the top when she tries to use it as a scratching post. She climbs into the back of a car and tears open the bag of groceries left in the back to get at more carrots, and she redigs the hole in the flower garden that had been filled in her absence. The people whose home and garden have been invaded can resist only so long. Ultimately, the persistent animal gets her way beginning with a full bowl of rolled oats and a plate of carrots left for her at the backdoor. The little wombat has trained the humans to do precisely what she wants. This Australian creature and all her manipulative machinations are adorably rendered by Bruce Whatley.
Olga Stein (Books in Canada)

From 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, Ages 4-7. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 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, Inc.