Customer Reviews

Wombat Goes Walkabout

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a sweet and simple story of a young Wombat searching for his mother. I read this book to my 5 and 7 year old girls. They enjoyed learning about the different Australian animals Wombat meets on his journey. The beautiful illustrations of Australian animals and the outback seem illuminated by a dusk glow of the sun - they make this book a treasure. They were intriguing to my girls. They made the world of the Australian outback seem lifelike and exciting. What a fun way for children to learn a little more about another part of the world.

I discovered this book when I was visiting Australia and loved it. I bought a copy while there and have since bought two more to give away. My husband, he's a musician, and I even wrote a song that is loosely based on the book and the story of the wombat. My nephew, three years old at the time, loved (and still loves) the book (and the song!). The story is simple and engaging and the illustrations are very nice. I kept a copy for myself.

I am a school librarian, and all elementary students love this book. It is a terrific story on its own, but also has good lessons about respecting one's differences, and how everyone has something they are good at, and it is all important. I purchased stuffed animals of all the characters to show when reading the story and they are always a hit. It is also a good teaching book about animals in Australia. A wonderfully illustrated good story.

Mostly, it must be admitted, because the boy in it looks a lot like her bestest friend ever.

This is a simply written (if slightly long) book about a wombat whose only skill, it seems, is to dig and think. Everybody he encounters laughs at how little he can do, showing off *their* skills.

But when a fire comes and he digs and digs and digs a hole, he invites them all to share his hole, because he's been thinking and he *thinks* that they can't outrun the fire with their abilities, but he can hide them from it. (And he's right.)

The book is beautifully illustrated, and neatly written as well.

This edition does have "Mom" at the end instead of "Mum". I think most of us, if this is a concern, can simply read the Other Word instead when reading to our kids, right?

One problem I do have with this book is that it's oversized, and too large to fit on my bookshelves.

This book is beautifully illustrated, however it is RUINED by the fact that the wombat at the end calls his Mum "Mom" (it would get 5 stars otherwise, the Wombat is my favourite "native"). If you're going to write a book on an Australian native mammal, at least give it a sense of authenticity and an Australian "accent". I picked it up at a local bookshop and almost flung it out of my hands when I saw that.