Wombat Goes Walkabout

by Michael Morpurgo and Christian Birmingham

Book Overview

Wombat loves to dig. One day he digs a deep, deep hole and crawls inside to think. Wombat loves to think. But when he climbs out of his hole, he can't find his mother. He is alone -- though not for long. Wombat soon meets cackling Kookaburra, hopping Wallaby, swinging Possum, scampering Emu, dozing Koala, and hunting Boy. But though he climbs the highest hill, he still can't find his mother.Instead, he spots a fire, leaping from tree to tree. It's up to Wombat, a thinker and a digger, to do what he does best to see himself and the others safely through danger. And in a tender conclusion, his friends use their own gifts for flying and swinging, hopping and scampering, to reunite a worried Wombat with someone very dear.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763611689
• ISBN13: 9780763611682
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 9.3" x 12.6"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

My niece adores this book!

Mostly, it must be admitted, because the boy in it looks a lot like her bestest friend ever. This is a simply written (if slightly long) book about a wombat whose only skill, it seems, is to dig and think. Everybody he encounters laughs at how little he can do, showing off *their* skills. But when a fire comes and he digs and digs and digs a hole, he invites them all to share his hole, because he's been thinking and he *thinks* that they can't outrun the fire with their abilities, but he can hide them from it. (And he's right.) The book is beautifully illustrated, and neatly written as well. This edition does have "Mom" at the end instead of "Mum". I think most of us, if this is a concern, can simply read the Other Word instead when reading to our kids, right? One problem I do have with this book is that it's oversized, and too large to fit on my bookshelves.

Australian Outback Illuminated

This is a sweet and simple story of a young Wombat searching for his mother. I read this book to my 5 and 7 year old girls. They enjoyed learning about the different Australian animals Wombat meets on his journey. The beautiful illustrations of Australian animals and the outback seem illuminated by a dusk glow of the sun - they make this book a treasure. They were intriguing to my girls. They made the world of the Australian outback seem lifelike and exciting. What a fun way for children to learn a little more about another part of the world.