The Great Wungle Bungle Aerial Expedition [Hardcover]

Wayne Talbot (Author), Greg McKee (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Author Publishers; First Edition edition (August 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0731616057
• ISBN-13: 978-0731616053
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,470,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Outback Adventure, January 5, 2000

By 

Maynard Gibb (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Wungle Bungle Aerial Expedition (Hardcover)

What a delight this picture book is. It is the firm favourite of my two kids, ages 4 and 7. They look at the pictures over and over again.

It is one of those books where there is so much hidden detail and humour in the drawings that you discover some new delight even on the tenth sitting! The story is set in a fantasy version of the Australian Outback and the illustrations are simply beautiful.The story is simple and fun and will hold the interest of even very young kids with short attention spans. My Emily is only 4 but used to study the book intently when only three. There is as much going on in the drawings as in the text.

A wallaby(kangaroo) called Wendi is carried away by a Willy Willy(tornado) and all her animal friends set out to save her. They build an hillarious assortment of homemade flying machines Rube Goldberg/Heath Robinson style out of old watermellons, rubbish tins, corks and bobbins etc. and set out on their adventure to rescue Wendi.

There are disasters all the way as the rescue team is hopelessly unprepared yet everything works out fine by the end. The story really champions the idea of helping others in need and selfless effort to extend ones abilities. The characters are a hoot! Felicity Flossy Fleece the flying doctor who is a sheep. Snuffle and Trundle Echidna, Wentworth Pelican, Ranger Bugwatch(who loves insects), Ulinga(an aboriginal boy), the seagoing Koala Bros, and a group of platypus helpers. The characters are so enthusiastic and fun they would appeal to kids from any nation.

Our copy is well worn, particularly the pages where the Koala Bros flyingsailingboat takes off and where Ulinga's friends help him paint his giant boomerang. The detail of the animals using each others tails for paintbrushes and the frill of a frilled-neck lizard for a paint palette has my kids in stitches. I thought this book was also called "Echidna Airways". You don't even have to be interested in Australia to love this book. The themes and delightful pictures should appeal to all.