Parents' Guide to

Diary of a Wombat

By Marigny Dupuy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

A story about different points of view.

Book Jackie French Picture Book 2003
Diary of a Wombat Poster Image

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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?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Book Details

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