Wombat Stew

by Marcia K. Vaughan, Pamela Lofts (Illustrator)

A dingo intent on making wombat stew receives cooking suggestions from the other animals, unaware that they are protecting their fellow creature.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Marcia Vaughan became a librarian in 1975 so that she could inspire children to read. After a short while, she began writing her own books. Her first two stories were never published but her third, ‘Wombat Stew’, illustrated by Pamela Lofts, was published in 1984. It might now be considered a classic of Australian children’s literature.

Reviews

[Debbie W.]

Why I chose to read this book:
1. I received my copy as a gift from some fellow Aussie teacher friends several years ago;
2. it makes a great read-aloud! I read it to a Grade 4 class on January 26 - Australia Day! and,
3. January 2023 is my self-declared "Books That Come From a Land Down Under" Month!

Here are some thoughts from these 9 to 10-year-old students:

Praises:
1. "It has a catchy beat!"
2. "I liked the rhyme."
3. "I liked how the animal characters were protective of their wombat friend by tricking the dingo."
4. "The illustrations were funny!"
5. "Maybe we could try playing the song on our recorders by following the musical notes (on the final page)."

Overall Thoughts:
Featuring unique Australian animals, it's a fun trickster tale for all ages!

Recommendation?
A great introduction to some of Australia's fauna!
Prior to reading, introducing the various animals in the story (e.g. platypus, echidna, emu, etc.) as well as some unique Aussie vocabulary (e.g. billabong, billycan, ironbarks) is very helpful!

Fun Note:
Within an hour of reading this book to the kiddos, a worker from the maintenance department dropped by into the classroom, and lo and behold, he was Australian! The class and I had a hoot when we learned that this book was one of his daughter's favorite stories, and they could confidently point out where Australia was on a map when he asked! Pure serendipity! 💖🦘

[Maxwell Rae]

This is a really fun book to hear mummy read to me. I liked hearing all the animals with their different accents. I’m not sure who my favourite is between the French Blue Tongue Lizard and the Bogan Koala. There is also a fun song to sing along too, and even some written music in the back so mum can play it for me on her piano.

[Laila]

Rereading this book before I wrap them as Christmas presents for my two adolescent boys brought me back to the time when I was made to read this book almost every night before bed! Gosh, we were never sick of the ridiculous story-line and the sing along that went with it. Big giggle before bed. It's funny that they were looking for the book when we were in the bookstore just the other day and were rather disappointed when the store didn't stock them. This would be one of the Christmas gift that they would treasure, I reckon! If only they care to read books as they used to! sigh*

[Crystal Dawn]

When I was in the book store very recently, I saw this book on the sale table and nostalgia just brimmed out of me. I showed it to my fiance and surprisingly he had never heard of the book. It's fantastic!! I NEED to go back and get it! It's just brilliant!

The story, moral, catchy rhyme and beautiful illustrations have been pieced together perfectly to create this book! It could be just rote, but the pages have all left such an impression on me I'm certain the book is forever in my head, word for word and picture for picture. (Guy Montag, I'm ready for when you want to pick me up, I've memorized my book).

I recommend it to everyone, from every country. This is just one of those childhood books I think everyone should know. A beautiful piece of Australian culture that I am definitely proud of, Mate.

[Anna Kuhl]

Classic.

[David Barnett]

Was as good as I remembered, and more. Great illustrations. Intriguing plot. And the good guys won in the end.

[larissa 🫪✨❤️‍🔥]

one of addison's favourite books

she especially likes it when i make a funny voice to sing the song, with specific emphasis on STEW at the end being the loudest

5/5 stars she rates it

[Kiara]

Literally the best book I’ve ever read!!!!!

[Brandon]

I did not appreciate the villainization of the dingo in this story. While I acknowledge that animals in general don't wish to be eaten, it is also unfair that the dingo couldn't get something to eat. Look, I'm going to be real with you here. The ending of this book is pure rubbish. You think it's a happy ending, right? The wombat is saved! But look kid, they poisoned that poor dingo. They POISONED him. Do you know what's going to happen to that guy? He's going to crawl around the woods for a few hours, melting slowly and agonizingly from the inside out. All because some jerk wombat couldn't take one for the team.

Still a pretty good book. I recommend it.

[Jasmine]

Childhood favourite, this book means so much to me.

[EileneC]

Wombat Stew is an amusing Australian story about a dingo who wants to make a “wombat stew.” As Dingo begins making the stew, he sings an entertaining and catchy song, “Wombat stew, wombat stew, gooey, chewy, yummy, brewy, wombat stew!” The other Australian bush animals (the platypus, emu, blue-tongued snake, koala, and echidna) provide ingredient suggestions for Dingo to add to the stew. Unbeknownst to Dingo, the animal’s ingredients (mud, feathers, flies, gumnuts, and creepy crawlies) are part of their plan to save the wombat. The story’s Wombat Stew catchy refrain makes this a fun book to use in primary grades as a read-aloud. The animals work together, promoting a theme of teamwork. The illustrations by Pamela Lofts provide detailed depictions of the animals and the bush country, letting kids visualize the setting. I recommend Marcia Vaughn’s Wombat Stew for young, primary-aged classrooms, especially for a class read-aloud, as it allows the teacher to sing the whimsical song for kids to join in.

[Kate]

This is a fun children’s picture book about various animals in the Australian outback who are “helping” a dingo make a wombat stew.

[Sandy]

Each Australian animal has a clever suggestion for what would make Dingo's Wombat stew tastier. Cute book and great introduction to the animals native to Australia.

[Caity]

You knew silent reading time was gonna be good if you got your hands on this one

[Vex Guthrie]

An Australian classic, teaching us to poison other food

[Lara Bate]

Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughan is a story of a dingo who wants to make a wombat stew. He gets advice from other Australian animals as to what to put in the stew. The Platypus recommends to put in mud, the emu advises to put in feathers, the blue tongue lizard recommends flies, the echidna recommends creepy crawlies, and the koala recommends gumnuts. The Australian animals encourage dingo to try the soup before putting in the wombat and learns that he was tricked as the stew tastes disgusting. The dingo then runs away.

[Brandielle]

My husband read the song with his own melody and the kids were singing it for days. A fun book. :)

[Jacinda]

Great Aussie children's book that should be in your child's collection. You can really play your voice in this story and even get into a bit of singing.

[Chandra Jordan]

An Aussie children's classic if ever there was one. This book is a wonderful romp and an all-time favorite!

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine)]

Author: Marcia K. Vaughan
Illustrator: Pamela Lofts
Age Recommendation: Early Learning
Art Style: Colour Pencil effect (though likely on a computer)
Topic/ Theme: Friendship
Setting: Loosely Australian Bush

This book is so very cute. The style was a little unexpected but it works well with the sing-songy lyrics of Dingo. Dingo is so expressive and vibrant, reminding me so much of the pet my neighbour had as a child (yes Cassie was heavily dingo and I loved her). Emu’s eyelashes are so long designating her femininity. Wombat looks so anxious as is only right, they are about to get put in a stew with bugs, gum nuts, ants among other things. The kookaburra who never says a thing is one of the better-illustrated characters, doing exactly what the reader likely would at that moment. The story is one of friendship and Australiana the doing what you can to help a mate and bit of trickery.

It is worth noting that this book was written and published in the early 80s. Things have changed only one of the animals is female now it would likely be balanced. But does the gender of the animals really matter? No. The pronouns just make it easier for children to read. It’s not perfect but it’s not fun and that is what I want from my picture story, especially Australian ones.

[Cheryl]

Well, it's sort of too bad that the Dingo was spoiled out of his meal, as carnivores are part of nature's web, but really this is just like all the European stories in which fox, wolf, or coyote, or even lion or tiger, are tricked out of theirs. What makes this special is the Australian setting, as (by definition) most readers haven't grown up to be familiar with these critters. What makes it extra special are the appealing illustrations that are lively, expressive, and humorous, and not cartoony at all. And I can't forget to tell you that the rhyme is successful, and both story and art are funny.

[Cassandra Doon]

Book: Wombat Stew
Author: Marcia k Vaughan
Genre: Picture books, Children’s Books
Recommend: Yes
Amount of Pages 32
My feelings:

I really enjoy children's books.
And read them to my kids every night. But one thing I don't do is review them.
Why I don't know, but I decided it was time to start.

This book is a classic. This is one of those books that never gets old. I grew up reading this and so shall my kids. It was written back in 1984 and is still beautiful and relevant today. This is one of those timeless Australian classics!

Highly recommend.

[Lauren Shelton | Cowtown Reads]

I've been reading a lot of children's books from Australia as of late and this one is by and far the most fun! Crunchy, Munchy, for my Lunchy fun. Last night I read it again to the child I work with and did it in my best Australian accents (which are not terrible, but he described as "annoying", so yes they are lol). This book is just a great way to introduce many native Australian animals to the readers while showing how they help that fat wombat. The kiddos I read this to enjoy it and I'm sure I will read it to children of my own someday.

[Jill Smith]

I used to read this to my son over and over again. The rhyming 'Chewy Gooey Wombat Stew!'
He's now thirty-seven with daughters of his own.

How do the animals thwart the plans of that silly old dingo to make 'Wombat Stew?'
I still have a copy I can't give away because of the fond memories.

I'm sure the Aussie animals and sing-song words are as appealing now to children as they were to my son.

[monique - persephone]

I have read this so many times I've lost count to the kids at school. They absolutely adore it! The words, they rhyming, the pictures, all of it! Me myself, I've never read this until this year and it's an okay book for me. But considering it's for the kids who cares about my opinion! Kids love this.

[Adrian J.]

It is almost animal racism.

I've never understood the tendency to position some animals as evil or mean and others as always good. Has the writer ever encountered a koala, or an emu? They're vicious; at least as much so as the dingo.

Also, why didn't it matter that the echidna eats other animals? Or the blue-tongue lizard? But the dingo? He's an evil monster!

Rather silly, really.

[Sam]

I don’t see the point of this. Carnivores gotta eat. Might be okay if the strategies the vegetarian animals used were realistic, but we learn nothing from this except ‘how the dingo lost its song voice’ (bark), which makes no factual sense. Protect Australia’s only native apex predator - it is just as important for the ecosystem as wombats.

[Carolyn]

I just read this to my 3 year old granddaughter. The illustrations are very good. The reason for the 4 stars is that she was very engaged with the pictures and they prompted her to ask lots of questions, which has to be the best recommendation for a good book for children.

[Lex Redding]

A friend bought this for my son in a collection of books that her three boys had picked out as their favourites. It might be a fav as my 21 month old gets bigger, but at the moment I wonder if it's a little too frightening for him?!

[Tracey]

Repetition is great for little people. When you have to read this book over and over again, not so good. I may have skipped paragraphs, pages, plot points. Who knows?