Wombat Goes Walkabout

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Wombat loves digging deep holes and thinking deep thoughts, but nobody thinks much of that until danger threatens the bush and the small wombat comes up with a great big idea...

One day Wombat digs the deepest hole he's ever dug and crawls into the cool darkness to think. But when he climbs out again, he can't see his mother anywhere. He is all alone.

As he wanders through the great outback looking for her, Wombat meets all kinds of wonderful creatures - Kookaburra, Wallaby, Possum, Emu, Boy and Koala. None of them think very much of him, though.

But when a fire sweeps through the bush, it is Wombat's skills which save the day, and afterwards everyone races off to find his mum and bring her back to him.

AGES 4-8

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Pencil sketches and naturalistic color art transport readers to the Australian outback in this affecting tale of a wombat who has lost his mother. As he searches for her, he encounters a variety of other creatures, from a kookaburra to a boy. Each asks, "What can you do, Wombat?" His neighbors dismiss his answer ("Not much. I dig a lot and I think a lot") and show off their own skills. But it's Wombat who saves the day when a forest fire threatensDhe digs a hole large enough to shelter them all. In return, his new friends help him find his mother. Morpurgo (previously paired with Birmingham for The Wreck of the Zanzibar) bolsters his story with pleasing repetitions, and his message about the importance of valuing the contributions of each individual in a community comes through clearly but gently. Birmingham's artwork is no less than sublime. Nimbly sketched animal studies adorn the margins of the pages containing text, and alternate with full-page vistas of the bush and its creatures, their softly smudged outlines gilded with light. Avoiding anthropomorphism, Birmingham nevertheless presents the wombat as an altogether winning creature, small and sturdy and determined. Oversize in format (9"x121/2") and suffused with warmth, this picture book opens a window on wildlife Down Under. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2-A picture book that misses the mark. A young wombat searching for his mother in the Australian outback meets a variety of indigenous animals, including a kookaburra, a wallaby, an emu, and a koala. Each creature shows off its unusual abilities, making Wombat feel inadequate since all he can do is dig. However, it is this very skill that rescues all of the animals when fire threatens their habitat. In a happy ending, Wombat and his mother are reunited. The text is repetitive; the dialogue is pretty much the same between Wombat and every animal he encounters. This simplicity works in picture books for very young children, e.g., Bill Martin's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Holt, 1995) and Deborah Guarino's Is Your Mama a Llama (Scholastic, 1989), but this book seems to be aiming for a more sophisticated audience, given its length. The sameness of the text becomes boring and rigid. Birmingham's illustrations are painterly and very moody, and beautiful enough to be framed. However, their sophistication seems overly ambitious for the text.-Barbara Buckley, Rockville Centre Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Ages 4^-8. As Wombat wanders through the Australian bush in search of his mother, he encounters a variety of creatures demanding to know who he is and what he can do. "I dig a lot and I think a lot," Wombat replies. Kookaburra, Wallaby, Possum, Emu, Boy, and Koala regard this information disdainfully, demonstrating their own flying, hopping, and jumping with pride. However, when a bush fire comes, it is Wombat's quick thinking and digging that keeps them all safe underground, and it is the other animals' abilities that reunite him with his mother. Morpurgo's prose is spare and poetic, with skillful repetition of words and sounds. Birmingham realistically depicts the animals against full-page impressionistic landscapes; the luminosity of the oversize, pastel art foreshadows the fire's glow. Birmingham also captures the animals' perpetual motion in tiny, rough pencil sketches encircling the text; the figures, made of almost-scribbled lines, are alive and expressive. Watch this charming walkabout walk right off your library shelves. --Amy Brandt

Horn Book Review

As he searches for his mother, Wombat meets a number of other Australian animals, all of whom claim to be more talented than he. However, when a fire threatens the neighborhood, the animals discover that Wombat's particular skills--digging and thinking--are quite valuable. The beginning is repetitious, but the evocative artwork includes gold-tinged full-page illustrations as well as charming pencil sketches. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Beautiful book design and illustrations drenched in the red-gold light of Australia enhance the warm-hearted story of Wombat. One day Wombat digs a hole and sits in it, thinking--so long that when he comes out, he can't find his mother. He meets Kookaburra, Wallaby, Emu, and even Boy in his search. Each asks him who he is and what he does, and he responds, "I'm Wombat. I dig a lot and I think a lot." No one is very impressed with this: the boy brags that he can jump, run, even hunt; Possum can hang upside down; Emu can run around in circles. But none of them has seen Wombat's mother, so he climbs as high as he can, looking for her. He doesn't find her, but he does see fire coming, and warns the others. They all hide in the hole Wombat dug deep and dark, and are safe until the fire passes, and then all help Wombat find his mother. The deep rhythms and call and response of this story fit a comfortable pattern: Birmingham (The Windhover, 1997) burnishes that with wonderfully detailed full-page images facing the text pages. Energetic grisaille sketches of whatever animal Wombat is talking to usually surround the text. He's an incredibly cute little fellow himself. Besides its undeniable kid appeal, the wombat is the mascot of at least two online library discussion groups--they are going to love it. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.