Wombat

by Philip Bunting

Take a rhythmic, read-aloud (and rather silly) burrow into the unseen world of the wombat! Set in a similar style to Mopoke, this is a book created to be read together. The deliberately sparse script and silly illustrations invite the reader to follow the fate of a blossoming marsupial love story.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2020

About the author

Philip Bunting's work deliberately encourages playful interaction between the reader and child, allowing his books to create a platform for genuine intergenerational engagement, and fun.
Philip's books have been translated into multiple languages, and published in over 25 countries around the world. Since his first title was published in 2017, Philip has received multiple accolades, including Honours from the Children's Book Council of Australia, and making the list for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2018. His titles include Mopoke and How Did I Get Here?

Reviews

[Hailey Vittrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a DRC of Wombat.
This book is super cute! :) I enjoyed the theme and the idea of explaining and showing so many variations of wombats. Wombat was a fun book to read, and kids would enjoy reading it out loud. The creativity of the author is evident. The illustrations were brilliant, and they fit the story well.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doesn't quite hit the heights of Mopoke for me, but still a fantastic book to read aloud. Some great humour!

[Elona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book so much. It's going on my list of Picture Books for Adults, too.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready to burrow into the unseen world of the wombat in this delightfully cute picture book written and illustrated by Philip Bunting! You and your children will have a joyful time romping through the rhythmic and quirky text of this book that creates a very playful characterization of this beloved Australian animal. Philip Bunting takes the word ‘wombat’ and transforms it in a variety of ways on each and every page. This book will leave littlebats, middlebats and whopperbats all giggling and begging for just one more reading of Wombat! It is a perfect book for reading aloud to children because it will teach them how to play with language, recognize rhyming words and might just encourage them to come up with some new words of their own to fit within the story! Also, the digitally rendered, cut-paper cartoon art that depicts a squat brown animal who peers out at readers on the cover of the book is just adorable! Each page after contains a simple, but creative illustration of one or more wombats, set against a solidly coloured background. These humorous illustrations are truly the star of the show and pair perfectly with the cleaver text that inspires imagination. Philip Bunting’s work as an author and illustrator deliberately encourages playful interaction between the reader and child, allowing his books to create a platform for genuine intergenerational engagement and fun! So, if you are looking for a way to celebrate National Wombat Day on October 22nd and would like to introduce your little ones to wombats, then this is the ideal book for you. I encourage you to check out this heartwarmingly fun and engaging picture book from the library today because it is sure to make readers of all ages go batty over Australia’s unique marsupial!

[Elizabeth]

The back jacket author bio begins: "Philip Bunting is an author and illustrator with a soft spot for creating picture books for sleep-deprived, time-poor, raisin-encrusted parents (and their children)."

I do feel like this book would maybe be enjoyed by adults more than by children.

I was kind of meh on it when I first skim-read it, but then I read it to Abby and we really enjoyed it.

And days after I read the book, I thought, "Likebat. Lovebat. [...] Madeanotherwombat." out in the wild.

My partner noted how impressively expressive the eyes sometimes are, given that they're just dots in circles.

[Sylva · Rating 5 out of 5]

nejlepší kniha za poslední půlrok!

[JenniferAustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wombat is a brilliant read-aloud book. It is a book an adult can enjoy reading over and over to a child, or that a new reader can read to themselves. The pages fly by, as the language has a delightful rhythm, and I found myself eager to see what silly and fun thing would come next. If you are tired of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish or want another read like that, I highly recommend Wombat!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In rhymes reminiscent of "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish," a silly poem of wombats. The illustrations are deceptively simple, but even on the page with many wombats, they are all slightly different. I could see using this for a poetry intro for young elementary students, or as an easy reader (lots of playful phonics). The simplicity would make this appropriate for a toddler storytime, though it might be difficult to do this with a theme. Maybe use it in a "Bat" storytime?

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this book from the Oxford Public Library. I picked it because he is half-Australian, and we so rarely see wombat things in the U.S.

Right now, Jack isn't super interested in reading new books. So, I pretended to read Wombat to myself and he came over to look at the pictures. He stood next to me while I read and smiled and pointed out some of the letters and things that he's interested in.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Counting wombats. It's annoying when two wombats are pictured in love/starting a family and one has to have a flower behind an ear and pink cheeks. As these are usually things that indicate something is female, does that mean we've only been male wombats throughout?

Read for Librarian Book Group

[Tilly Johannessen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite book. I got it for my 1st Birthday and have been obsessed with it since.
My dad sometimes hides it because if I can see it, I demand for it to be read over and over and over again.
It’s funny and fast-paced and the pictures are perfect for the feel of the book.

Spoiler alert: My favourite page is “Splat Bat”. I like to splat the page so I’m joining in on the fun.

[Sonya Bright]

This is quick, silly, funny read. Not so much about wombats as all the silly ways Wombat’s name can be rhymed and played with.

With kid-friendly humour, children will enjoy this one.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was instantly drawn to this book from the first page - Wombat, Twobat, Threebat. That was not what I was expecting! It is a book of cute and funny word play that kept me turning the pages, despite the silliness. Charming, simple illustrations, perfect length, and just a sweet surprise!

[Nae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute favourite book in our house. Every now and then it needs to be hidden away as the adults get sick of reading it at least 5 times a day. Fun, rhythmic, cute, it’s got everything including a love story!

[Children's Literature Centre at FSU · Rating 2 out of 5]

A interesting take on opposites through the life of a wombat. This book would be a great read aloud to a young audience that could interact by guessing the opposite word. The book is rhythmic and silly but there isn’t much of a storyline behind the text.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love wombats and this is a sweet, silly rhyming book devoted to wombats. Though friend numbat does make an appearance! Read through it once first to get the rhyming down and to check out the creative ways the author portrays our wombat friends.

[Nikki Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me and my partner actually found this quite hilarious, very silly and has that kind of dad joke vibe about it. Little ones who are starting to understand jokes will really love this and will bring out all the giggles.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too silly for me to fully appreciate, and I don't see the 'story' evolving but only see it at beginning and end. I am motivated to try more by Bunting. I love the color scheme, especially in the endpapers.

[Leticia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book and what a laugh.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

wombats have square poop. who knew?!

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! My favourite wombats are the vombat (and the yellow and blue wombats looking concerned) and the fell down a hole wombat. Hilarious!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my books of the year!
Love Vombat and Felldownaholebat.
Simple yet hilarious.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

hilarious simple illustrations and great use of rhyme/repetition. a quick, simple book that is fun to read aloud.

[Martin Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute and adorable. Simple and sweet. A minimalist treat with gorgeous illustrations and clever word play.

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpJu6...

[bre · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun and so many giggles.

[Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too cute. My favourite is Fallendowntheholebat. And the surprise ending never fails to make the kids go: awwwwww!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The humor and the design/layout of this book are a winner!

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so cute! It will make a great baby shower or birthday gift. It’s giving One Fish, Two Fish vibes.

[Steph]

Turn/Level: 2/2

Opposites, Wombats, Colors, Shapes

Mostly wombats, but lots of other learning topics touched on.