Diary of a Wombat

Wombat

by Jackie French, Bruce Whatley (Illustrator)

Wombats are cuddly-looking, slow-moving Australian animals. Their favorite activities are eating, sleeping, and digging holes. Here, in the words of one unusually articulate wombat, is the tongue-in-cheek account of a busy week; eating, sleeping, digging holes . . . and training its new neighbors, a family of humans, to produce treats on demand. This entertaining book, with its brief, humorous text and hilarious illustrations, will endear the wombat to young children, who may recognize in the determined furry creature some qualities that they share.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Australia, Fiction, Humor, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Jackie is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator and the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2014-2015. She is regarded as one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors, and writes across all genres - from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi to her much loved historical fiction. In her capacity as Australian Children’s Laureate, ‘Share a Story’ will be the primary philosophy behind Jackie’s two-year term.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wombats are cute. As long as they are happening to someone else.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this story is told in the diary format. The wombat, which I don’t know this creature very well, is giving his story. He is cute and cuddly and just a little oblivious to the fact that he is very very destructive to things around him. He might be cute, but I sure wouldn’t want to be his neighbor.

He sleeps a whole lot, he likes to dig and eat carrots. The humans try and appease the creature, but he keeps digging and banging on things for food. He eats a whole in their door. I’m glad these creatures are native to Australia and not here.

The nephew thought the wombat was the cutest thing ever and he laughed at all his antics. I told him it’s only because he doesn’t have to live with the beast that he likes him. The nephew shot back that he wishes it lived in our house. Heaven help us. The nephew gave this 4 stars.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the week long diary of a wombat (an Australian animal that likes to dig holes, eat, and sleep.) As the week progresses and it attains its desires, the story just gets funnier and funnier; it really had me chortling. The pictures are hilarious as the wombat keeps her sleepy expression throughout all her many activities.

This is a book particularly good for anyone who has a companion animal because they will certainly recognize the training animals are adept at giving to humans. It’s also fun to see things from another’s point of view, in this case the wombat’s.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a delightful little story, amusing, with CUTE-as-can-be illustrations. Growing up on five acres in the country, I was used to deer coming by and asserting their rightful territory by eating our flowers, drinking our water, etc. Now, I want to spend some time at an Australian country house so I can see a wombat do the same! :-)

The story takes sunny approach to the pressing and troublesome issue of humans invading wildlife territory--I couldn't help but feel sorry for our little wombat, even though she managed to make the best of the situation and seemed perfectly happy with her new surroundings. Some may argue the view portrayed is too idealistic--others may say it's just a cute picture book. As a grown-up with awareness of the Big Picture I was a little bothered, but kids will probably just enjoy the reversal of roles as Our Wombat feels like she owns the human's yard and that the humans have become her pets! :-)

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a difficult job getting humans trained properly, but our wombat heroine is equal to the challenge in this hilarious picture book. With its highly felicitous meeting of text and image, Diary of a Wombat gives the reader a wombat's view of her new neighbors, who provide her with the ideal dust-bath (their picnic area), the perfect place to dig holes (the garden), and plenty of oats and carrots. Jackie French's deadpan narrative, paired with Bruce Whatley's droll illustrations, will have children and adults alike in hysterics. Highly recommended.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite picture books, ever since it first came out, and it's taken me seven years to finally get a copy - but the wait is worth it.

Wombats are lazy animals - cousin to the koala, which is only awake for about 45 mins a day - and oh so adorable. When I was in Grade 6 I did an assignment on the hairy-nosed wombat, and learnt about their unique defence tactic: like koalas, wombats have a hard plate of bone on their lower back. Koalas use this for sleeping in the fork of branches high up in trees. Wombats use it differently - when threatened by a dingo (the dog breed the Aborigines brought with them many thousands of years ago), the wombat will run for its burrow. The dingo follows, and when it tries to jump on the wombat's back to crush the neck with its jaws, the wombat will lift itself on its powerful, earth-moving legs and crush the dingo between the hard plate of the wombat's back and the roof of the burrow. Pretty cool huh? I was very impressed by this, back in Grade 6, and I've never forgotten it.

Also, and I was hoping to have more info on this for you, my parents once had a "pet" wombat. So much of Diary of a Wombat rings true because of their stories - anyone who's had a "pet" wombat would no doubt agree (I'm sure the author has had one too at some stage). They're not pets like cats and dogs are, they just sort-of adopt you, like the wombat in this story. My parents had theirs - and I don't know what they called it, or how they came to have it, but I think it was a male - long before I was born, when they lived in Thornby Cottage. A couple of stories have always stuck with me: it took an aversion to one of their friends and had to be shut away when she visited; it really would scratch holes right through doors; and it once fell asleep behind a tyre of my uncle's car without anyone knowing it was there - when he backed out he ran over the wombat, but because of that hard plate on its back I was telling you about, it was fine, just got up and waddled away.

So they're real characters, wombats. Diary of a Wombat is written from the wombat's perspective, and is incredibly adorable and funny. Her diary consists of sleeping, eating, scratching, and sleeping some more - until a family of humans moves in and she discovers she can get some tasty food if she bangs on tin rubbish bins. She's also protective of this new family, and valiantly does battle with the flat hairy creature (the doormat) before demanding a reward.

Now I just need to get the next book, Diary of a Baby Wombat. I wouldn't mind getting hold of some of her other books too - I like the sound of Pete the Sheep-Sheep! :D

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

My proposed alternate title: If You Give a Wombat a Carrot.

A wombat is an endearing little pest as he attaches himself to a family who, in what becomes a moment to be regretted, shares some carrots with him.

A fun way to learn about a strange little animal from Australia.

[Jackie "the Librarian" · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming and very single-minded wombat finds a lovely home with some new neighbors, and teaches them to give him carrots. I think my cats may have read this book. Although they prefer kitty treats to carrots, of course.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another classic I read growing up!

[Rosemary Standeven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first encountered wombats when I went to the Olympics in Sydney in 2000. Fatso, the Fat-Arsed Wombat was an unofficial games mascot, on Channel 7 TV every evening in the wonderful Roy and HG roundup of the days’ events. We then saw a real one at the Sydney zoo – of course, asleep and unmoving. Now, I have a very large backside, and enjoy eating and sleeping enormously – so, felt that I had finally met my totem animal. I LOVE wombats!
Then, a Goodreads friend alerted me to this book – and I simply had to have it. It arrived today, and did not disappoint. The illustrations are superb, and the story (though limited in vocabulary and variety of scene) immediately grabbed both me and my husband.
The diary-writing wombat’s life revolves around sleeping (lots of), eating, scratching and digging holes. Then, new neighbours appear – a human family – whom, within a short number of days, are convinced to provide the wombat with repeated gifts of carrots and oats. The book ends with:
“Evening: Have decided that humans are easily trained and make quite good pets. Night: Dug new hole to be closer to them. Slept”
This book is marketed to 2 -4 year old children – I would recommend it to everyone – with or without children!

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess wombats are as pesky to Australians as deer can be to Americans. It's a fun story!

Ages: 3 - 6

Cleanliness: "for pete's sake" is exclaimed.

#geography #australia

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have borrowed this book a few times from the library, but today we were lucky enough to win a copy from the author when she came to visit our local library! I love this book, it's such a simple and fun insight into the life of a wombat.

**Interview with my 4 year old (who won the book by scratching her ear with her toe, just like a wombat)**

Me: What did you think of this book?
Her: Awesome!

Me: Which bit did you like best?
Her: All of it.

Me: Do you like carrots?
Her: Yes

Me: Do you have fur on the top of your head?
Her: Yes, it's hair.

Me: Do you have no hair on your nose?
Her: *nods*

Me: Can you scratch you ear with your toes?
Her: Yes *demonstrates again*

Me: Would you like to have a wombat in out backyard?
Her: Yesee. Mum can we have a pet wombat?
Me: I don't think we can have a pet wombat, they live in the wild.

Me: Show me which page you like the best.
Her: This one. When she attacked the hairy creature and it's a door mat and the wombat tear it. Then she tear (stare) for carrots. She loves carrots.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course, Bruce Whatley's pictures of the wombat and his mischief were awfully cute. However, the story wasn't much, just a typical week in a wombat's life interacting with humans. What I liked about the book was what I learned about wombats. They seem to present the same kind of nuisance to people in Australia as raccoons do to people in the U.S. Both kinds of creatures can be terribly destructive. I kind of felt sorry for the family in this story, whose door and garden were ruined. It did make me curiously hungry for carrots, though...

[Claudia G-D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wombat takes us through her week with her and all that she gets up to, like sleeping, eating grass, discovering a scratching post and trying to make her humans be better pets! I think children will find this picture book funny and will enjoy reading about the wombats week. This could also be used as part of a topic or could create discussion about where wombats are from. Suitable for EYFS as well as a nice addition to a KS1 reading corner.

[Nadhira Ramadhani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favourite Quote: ‘Carrots are delicious’ ‘Demanded more carrots’
In all honesty, this book was quite a funny read to begin with. Fortunately, there was a copy of this book in my placement school, that I couldn’t resist to read it a couple of times. The book is depicted with soft tone illustrations. It is about the life of an Australian wild animal that is quite demanding and cannot be tamed. A week journal from Monday to Sunday and what the wombat activity consists off. I say wild, yet it has a confident approach to the human’s territory. The wombat is so cute, that any act that doesn’t perceived to be right to the adult is forgiven instantly. Even though he seems to be a bit pesky, in its own view he doesn’t seem that he is doing anything wrong! He lives a simple life, sleep and eating carrots and oat. (Promoting healthy eating!)
Good use of adjectives to introduce to students : flat, hairy creature!
It reminds me of a little toddler with the simple cycle of life: play, sleep and eat.
I really like this book and I can see many way that can be incorporated in students learning. The book also has expressive emotions, when the wombat is expressive that he liked carrots. This is promoting good emotional development in children to be expressive of their feelings and behaviour.

An activity for the children will be writing a week journal themselves, monitor what they have done during the week even though it might be simple words.

• To name the days of the week
• To know the phases of the day, from morning to night.

[Erika Yoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was not only adorable, but laugh out-loud funny. It reminded me of training my dog, Jaden, when she was a puppy. When you train puppies, they think that they deserve a treat for chewing up your shoes or "emptying" the garbage. Because they are too darn cute, you give them a treat anyway, just like this wombat's neighbors do. Before the book begins, the author provides a short paragraph including background knowledge about wombats to keep in mind as the story begins. I think that this is a great way to begin the story because it gives readers an idea about what kind of behavior to expect from the cute little wombat. I really liked how the author tells this story with the wombat’s weekly schedule (which consists of sleeping, eating, and scratching). During the week, the wombat discovers that he has new neighbors. As he investigates their home, he wins the battle against a hairy creature (his neighbor’s doormat) and demands a reward for his heroic deed. As he proceeds to “help” his neighbors, he demands more and more treats until he gets bored with the taste. As the wombat’s week comes to a close, he digs a hole closer to his neighbor’s home and does what wombats do best: sleep.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely story about a very naughty wombat. It starts innocently enough but the wombat quickly decides that life could be more interesting, regardless of what any humans might think about her destructive habits. The wombat's matter-of-fact account of her days, told in diary form, are very funny, particularly in conjunction with the charming illustrations. The ending is quite endearing, and while one can't help feeling a little bit sorry for the humans in the story, they have clearly succumbed to the wombat's charms. The illustrations capture the character of the wombat beautifully. This is a very appealing book, destined to become a favourite.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite picture book that wasn't part of my childhood. It's in the same vein as Diary of a Fly and Diary of a Worm, but a little less cartoony. Rather than the fly or worm writing a diary, it's more the accounting of how the wombat spends her days, and her dealings with the local humans. Simple drawings, prose, and story. Funny, sweet, and just a great book.

[Camilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this in a surprise Wombat care package, from the land of Wombats.. Yes that would be Aussie-land..

And I LOVE it!! And I love wombats!! lol I need my own wombat, so yeah, I'm moving to Aussie-land.. Whoop Whoop

[Tayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book when I was younger and thinking it was absolutely hilarious! Now I read it every now and again and it reminds of the memories I had as a child! It's a cute book about a wombat and his adventures!

[Alice Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for young readers as they are introduced to basic sentences and new vocabulary while remaining in their comfort zone. A book better suited for practising reading than challenging abilities.

[Miss Bookiverse · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wonderful sister gave it to me and I love it. The Wombat is so unbelievably cute and adorable. The story itself is funny and sweet.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given the PandaBat's interest in all critters great and weird, we read and loved this. Not as much data as an inquiring mind desires, but all the cuteness you can stand.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

gesehen.
gelesen.
schlafen gelegt. 🤝

[Alysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely charming. Lots of giggles from the 6 year old. First book of my #DymocksReadingChallenge in honour of the awesome wombats allowing other animals to shelter in their dens during the Australian fires.

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words cannot even begin to describe how much of a masterpiece this book is.

This wombat is far ahead of their time.

I will forever have immense respect for everything this wombat does.

[Dione Basseri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems like somewhat of a nitpicking thing to have a problem with for this book, but I was very disappointed that an animal taking food from humans was played off as a joke, with no rehabilitation at the end. Especially since the author herself is an Australian, and should really know the issues that come from this irresponsible treatment of wildlife.

I'm sure many kids would find the story amusing, but it bothers me. The artwork and writing quality is otherwise okay, likely to get a 4-star from me, but I had to knock it down for the bad impressions it could give about how to handle wildlife.

The very final page is just an image of the wombat curled up, and here would have been a great spot to add in a little blurb about how humans should treat wildlife. A missed opportunity.

[Jordan]

This book was created for children between the ages of four to seven years old. The story is eight days of a diary entry from a wombat named Mothball, who interacts with a human family, causing them a lot of trouble. It is good for introducing the idea of diaries, along with the use of repitition to teach children words and their contexts that the children may not know before this book.

[Khai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! One of my favorite details was how the wombat's energy level and day's activities changed depending on what she'd eaten. A very true fact for wombats, as well as all other creatures, too. I loved the adorable, beautiful illustrations, and the very sweet story!

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

An utter delight.