The Wild Wombat

by Udo Weigelt, Anne-Katrin Piepenbrink (Illustrations), Kathryn Grell (Translator)

When the animals at the zoo learn that a wild wombat is coming, they let their vivid imaginations get the best of them. One misunderstanding leads to another, and before long the zoo animals are certain that the new arrival will be a ferocious and terrifying creature. The wild wombat surprises them all in the end, and everyone learns a lesson about jumping to conclusions!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Juvenile

44 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Udo Weigelt was born in 1960 in Hamburg, Germany. After secondary school he began his training in business but soon stopped to attend the College for Graphics and Design. In 1987 he finished his further education by studying German and history. Udo Weigelt has written many children’s books for North-South Books that have been translated into numerous languages. He also writes under the pseudonyms of E.T.W. Igel and Moritz Petz.

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Today the wild wombat is coming---all the way from Australia! We must be very careful with him."

And that's all it takes for the rumors to start flying. Soon all the animals at the zoo are speculating about the wild wombat and his dangers. Like a game of Gossip, the whisperings about the wombat grow more and more ominous.

The illustrations perfectly mirror the worries of the zoo animals with growing dire predictions about the wild wombat.

The ending is quite satisfying.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wild Wombat by Udo Weigelt, illustrated by Melanie Freund. PICTURE BOOK. Minedition, 2018. $18. 9789888341795

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A parrot in the zoo overhears the zookeepers say that they need to be careful with the wild wombat who will be arriving soon. The parrot passes this information on to a polar who passes it on to other animals and each time the description of the wombat gets more and more scary.

My favorite part of this story was the very understated ending in which the wombat asks where all the animals, who are apparently too scared to welcome him, are. I think young readers will be able to relate to the way stories morph as they are told and see the humor in this. They will also learn a little about an actual wombat.

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the zoo is expecting a new animal - a wild wombat - rumors begin to spread about the creature. Soon, the animals are all in a panic, fearing the worst! When the wombat actually does arrive, there are NO animals there to greet it (they are all in hiding). What sort of creature IS a wombat? And is it truly as terrifying as everyone seems to think? A clever design, with cut pages that showcase the growing fears and wild imaginations of the zoo animals as they picture what the new arrival will be like. The actual wombat is quietly confused about the lack of a welcome. A concluding paragraph follows the text of the story giving a few details about wombats, but it isn't much. If readers REALLY want to learn about wombats and what they're like there are other, better titles.

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun story ! Team Wombat !

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story about animals at the zoo, starting with the parrot overhearring about the arrival of wild wombat. News spread fast amongst them and a lot of speculation began since none of the animals exactly knew what a wombat was. I wish the story ended a little better but overall, the kids enjoyed the tale very much during preschool storytime. They especially really liked the flapped pages and was excitedly kept insuspense until the flapped was turned. Despite the ending, I would definitely read this again to the kids.

[Irene Palfy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One zookeeper telling another that the zoo is expecting a "wild wombat" and that the wombat has to be treated with care. Now rumours start amongst the zoo animals and the "wild wombat" becomes more and more a dangerous creature and the animals more scared. And then comes the day when the wombat arrives..

Very, very cute. Teaching about how rumours can harm the community. Very cute pictures as well.

[Rose]

E Wei

[Kristy McRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a favorite at my house. We read it often!