Diary of a Wombat

 Review

Common Sense Media says

A story about different points of view.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
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Parents say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a story about looking at things from different points of view and the humorous situations that can arise as a result.

What's the story?

Told as a week of entries in a wombat's diary, the early part of the week features entries such as this:
"Monday
Morning: Slept.
Afternoon: Slept.
Evening: Ate grass.
Scratched.
Night: Ate grass. Slept"

Then new neighbors (human) move in and disturb the wombat's routine, but their arrival affords her many new opportunities as well. She "helps" the new people, for example, by defeating the flat hairy doormat, and removing all of the wet, flappy things hanging on the clothesline. For each act of kindness, she demands a reward: at first just carrots, then oats, and eventually carrots and oats. The people are accommodating and the wombat concludes at the end of the week that, "humans are easily trained and make quite good pets."


Is it any good?

 

The humor in the entertaining story is deadpan and comes from the wombat's unshakeable adherence to its own point of view, reminiscent in many ways of the unflappable Amelia Bedelia. The design of the book is handsome, with richly colored acrylic images set against a sharp white background.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about perspective. If you have a pet, imagine what the world looks like from your pet's point of view. What would your pet's diary look like? Would you ever want to trade places with your pet? Why or why not?


This review was written by Marigny Dupuy
Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
YAY WOMBAT FUNNEY!
funny book its really good for kindergarteners i read them this book all the time they love it and my frd in the class love it and want me to read it every time i come.

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This review was written by Marigny Dupuy
Author:Jackie French
Illustrator:Bruce Whatley
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Picture Book
Publisher:Clarion Books
Publication date:November 24, 2003
Number of pages:32
Hardcover price:$14.00
Publisher's recommended age(s):3 - 7

This review was written by Marigny Dupuy
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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