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Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball

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Sometimes I like to curl up in a ball
So no one can see me
because I'm so small.
Little wombat spends a day doing favorite things--what could they be? Are they your favorites, too? Let's look and see! He especially enjoys walking around and around, and doing a pigeon step till he falls down. Or sticking out his pink tongue--and pulling funny faces (now that can be fun)! And maybe he'll jump just as high as he can, and see how much noise he will make when he lands. But when the day ends and the sun starts to fall...he goes back home to mama and curls into a ball. Good night! Soft-toned illustrations portray an endearing little wombat and the warm and friendly world around him--and every page is filled with charming details that stand up to repeat cute mice, rabbits and turtles peering from behind tall grass, marching pigeons, and a menagerie of other adorable animals. The images, along with the lyrically rhyming text, combine to make a sweet-spirited bedtime story to ease young ones to sleep.

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

11 people are currently reading
616 people want to read

About the author

Vicki Churchill

11 books7 followers

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5 stars
760 (49%)
4 stars
460 (30%)
3 stars
261 (17%)
2 stars
43 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
Profile Image for karen.
4,012 reviews172k followers
March 25, 2019
Sometimes I like to curl up in a ball, so no one can see me because i'm so small.

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Sometimes I like to jump high as I can

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To see how much noise I can make when I land.

Sometimes I like to scream ever so loud, not that I'm cross, I just like how it sounds.

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Sometimes I like to just walk round and round

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I pigeon step pigeon step, till I fall down.

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Sometimes I like to stand still as a tree,

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and watch everyone rush around about me.

Sometimes I like to poke out my tongue

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or make funny faces, now that can be fun.

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Sometimes I like to get in a real mess

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with mud on my feet and my hands and my chest.

Sometimes I like to run ever so fast, I sometimes come first, but I sometimes come last.*

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But when the day ends and the sun starts to fall, then I do what I do best of all. I find somewhere soft, somewhere cozy and small…and that's where i like to curl up in a ball...

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so do you guys know what this means??? it means that I AM A WOMBAT!! this is the best news ever.






*it may not look like i am moving very fast here, but i am. ask caris. he's that speck in the distance...

come to my blog!
Profile Image for Clouds.
233 reviews662 followers
January 7, 2014
OMG this book is cute!
Karen already did the perfect review.
Seriously. Check it out.

Sometimes I like to Curl Up in a Ball is a list of a baby wombat's favourite things to do.
The artwork is... sumptuous and gorgeous.

My little boy, Fin, is only eighteen months old, but he loves this one as much as me.
When the wombat pulls funny faces, Fin pulls funny faces.
When the wombat gets covered in mud, Fin says "Oh-no! Dirty!"
When the wombat curls up in a ball with his Mum at the end, Fin strokes the book and curls up on my lap.

Break-my-heart cuteness.

For one page (sometimes I like to stand still as a tree) Fuge did a vertical picture, so you have to turn the book around to make it tall - that's a lovely touch.

It's simple, it's sweet, and there's a real joy and love of life splashed across the pages.
Who doesn't love wombats?
Perfect.

After this I read: The Fish Who Could Wish
Profile Image for Charlotte Dutton.
12 reviews2 followers
September 29, 2013
Sometimes I Like to Curl up in a Ball, written by Vicki Churchill and illustrated by Charles Fuge, focuses on an adorable little Wombat exploring his favourite things to do during the day before bedtime approaches. The reader sees him jump up high, pigeon step, scream loudly and poke out his tongue until he finally returns to his ball like shape, seen on the front cover of the first page, when it is finally time to join his mum to go to sleep.

The two areas of the curriculum where I believe this book could be useful as a wonderful resource are; Literacy and Social and Emotional Learning. In Literacy pupils can explore rhyming words and stories, develop their knowledge of how to construct sentences using commas and also discuss the use of adjectives to describe physical movements. The story is perfect for exploring the theme of "there's no one quite like me", which is featured in the curriculum for the Reception Class. Pupils can use this book as an inspiration to begin to talk about themselves and the things they like doing. This could be achieved through storytelling, story writing, Art and Design and Drama. Pupils can begin to learn about themselves and explore their dislikes and preferences as well as begin to learn about their peers through their engagement with this book.

This book is appropriate for Classes up to Year 2 and would be great to use during a story time session!
12 reviews1 follower
May 5, 2014
This book is an amusing tale about a little wombat who tells us what he likes to do. The story is told as a repetitive rhyme which appeals to children so they are more likely to be engaged. The book is full of fun and funny pictures as the wombat describes what he likes he do. The wombat likes to pull funny faces, scare his friends and then falls over. The images and actions of what the wombat enjoys doing can be related to what children do and also many of us adults can relate to our own childhood too. After a series of discovering what wombat enjoys, we find out at the end what he loves to do best.

The illustrations fill the entire pages of the book ensuring children are able to see the actions clearly and be fully drawn into the story. Overall, this story is a great tale to get children talking about what they like to do and not like to do. This allows children to share their emotions and experiences with one another. A great carpet time read or for bed times but definitely a book for the classroom collection.
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book671 followers
February 6, 2020
This is a sweet story about different actions a young wombat performs throughout the day, ending in a nice, quiet cozy ball with his parent at night.

The narrative is short, rhyming and in a large font, making it appropriate for beginning readers. The colorful, cartoonish creatures in the story are fun and the funny faces (on pp. 14-15 - unpaged) are sure to appeal to young children.

Overall, it's a fun, fast read and I really enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Stephan Benzkofer.
Author 2 books15 followers
December 31, 2021
Note: While the following is a real review, it is also a shameless ploy to make my Goodreads reading challenge.

This baby wombat has so much fun during the day because she knows she can always come back to Mom and curl up and take a nap. We memorized this one too.
8 reviews1 follower
September 23, 2021
I love that this book has a rhyme within the pages and therefore makes it an easy ready for the younger years! The illustrations are so beautiful and colourful and will be a great read for the early years.
Profile Image for Jasmine.
Author 1 book143 followers
December 8, 2017
Fun illustrations, great cadence to the text, Wombat has an ACTION PACKED LIFE. Hiding, jumping, shouting, falling, racing, hiding again.
10 reviews
January 7, 2013
This book is about a little wombat who describes all the different activities he likes to do. The book is visually appealing because it is very colourful and has rhyming words which will help the children decode regular words.

This book would be suitable for children in nursery and reception who are beginning to learn about phonics. I read the book to the children at the end of the day but it can be used for guided reading. The children enjoyed the images and were concentrating on what the little wombat was doing.
Profile Image for Abby.
1,144 reviews4 followers
October 17, 2015
This book is adorable. It's so cute. The narrator is a wombat who tells about some of the things he likes to do for fun, like jump or yell or pretend to be a tree. This book has a very young target audience and has the potential to be a delightful, interactive bedtime read aloud (with the likelihood that little ones will want to jump and yell along with the wombat). In the end, he likes to curl into a ball to go to sleep. A perfect segue to light-out.
The illustrations are lovely, and the characters (animals from the Outback) are full of adorable charm.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
680 reviews27 followers
January 15, 2015
I LOVE this book. I read it at least once a year. I used to read it at least once a week when my son was younger. The illustrations are just perfect. Young Wombat is so adorable and so reminded me of my son at that age. Just a great, lovely book.

So childlike in its wonder.

Cannot recommend this book enough.
Profile Image for N.
912 reviews13 followers
April 14, 2011
I got this because I thought the title sounded hilarious. Instead of someone on the verge of a nervous breakdown, I got an adorable wombat who moves any way that pleases him. Neat verse that lends itself to being recited or acted out, rather than plainly read.
Profile Image for Lori.
2,489 reviews53 followers
April 10, 2014
My grandsons discovered themselves all throughout this charming book, especially the page where the critter likes to be be loud. Great book for preschoolers and lap time.
3,271 reviews51 followers
April 16, 2015
Adorable illustrations and perfect for storytime--gives kids the opportunity to make silly faces, pigeon step around the room and curl up into a ball to go to sleep.
Profile Image for Samantha.
94 reviews
July 25, 2022
Cute, realistically paralleled situations to small children’s lives. The book also has a nice balance of extremes and growth mindset messages tied in.
Profile Image for Sami Pratt.
74 reviews
Read
May 24, 2021
I remember this book from elementary school. Such bright and realistic pictures. One page is turned vertically so the tree can stretch all the way to the top with all the different animals around it.

The little wombat spends a day doing favorite things. What could they be? Are they your favorites, too? Read the book to see. He especially enjoys walking around and around. He enjoys doing a pigeon step till he falls down and sticking out his pink tongue. The wombat makes funny faces! And maybe he'll jump just as high as he can, and see how much noise he will make when he lands. But when the day ends and the sun starts to fall- he goes back home to his momma and curls into a ball. Goodnight Wombat family!
Profile Image for Suzy.
91 reviews
January 7, 2023
Sweet story about a mischievous little wombat and his favourite activities. The illustrations are cute and detailed. This book also does a creative surprise with some of the artwork, which could be fun to discuss with older children. The creatures in the illustrations are detailed and children can discuss what is happening with adults. This book was a gift and I’d recommend it for babies and young children.
Profile Image for Lynn  Davidson.
8,079 reviews34 followers
June 18, 2023
What sweet illustrations in this irregularly rhyming story. A young wombat demonstrates the things he likes to do during the day, such as scream loudly because he likes how it sounds, or jump high to see how much noise he can make when he lands. The many other little characters in the illustrations add so much delight. There's a wonderful ending to this gorgeous story.
Profile Image for Kate M. Colby.
Author 19 books76 followers
December 26, 2024
Grandie gave this book to Jack for Christmas. I read it to him before nap time today, and he enjoyed the little wombat. His favorite page was when the wombat sticks out his tongue and makes funny faces. We did it with the wombat and he laughed. My favorite part is how the wombat goes to cuddle his mama at the end.
349 reviews1 follower
January 11, 2021
When you feel overwhelmed by the existential crises manufactured in our capitalist society, this book is a soothing reminder to remain present in your body and soul. I feel this message is lost on my 1.5 year old.
1,036 reviews4 followers
July 27, 2021
Our star is a wombat, showing us a typical day of fun and entertaining things a little wombat can spend his day doing, and then after all that independent amusement, it is so nice to go home to mom and curl up.
Profile Image for Amanda.
882 reviews
January 5, 2018
Adorable book, one of my favorite children's books.
Profile Image for Ruth Ann.
2,039 reviews
March 14, 2018
Endearing and detailed illustrations help tell this story of a fun-loving wombat who goes about his day with zest!

Good for an interactive pre-school storytime.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews

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