Mim's muddle: Diary of a Wombat

When I first came across this picture book I was wandering around a bookshop in 2002 with David aged 5 1/2, Caitlin aged 4 and Tom 1 year old, I picked it up, leafed through, and fell in love instantly. The simple text and gorgeous illustrations were so evocative, I could see Mothball (the wombat), full of personality, coming to life on the pages. It very quickly became a family favourite and we've since accumulated a few more books by the same fabulous team of writer Jackie French and illustrator Bruce Whatley.

A few years ago I bought a board book copy of Diary of a Wombat on sale to pop in the present stash, it's getting lonely in there so I'm pulling it out to add to my Christmas give-away.

If you haven't yet met Mothball and her carrot obsession then you really, really must! Fortunately you don't even have to wait till you can get your hands on the book because there's an absolutely lovely piece for you to read over on Jackie French's website about the first time she met Mothball and how she came to write the book: The Story Behind Diary of a Wombat.

Oh, and your kids will probably like it too :-)

7 comments:

ozFinn said...: ... I'm not entirely sure that anything could be as good as The Muddle-Headed Wombat.; 2/12/10 9:21 PM
mimbles said...: Oooo...I have much Muddle-Headed Wombat love, but in certain ways this comes out on top. For one thing, it's much shorter to read to small children at bed-time ;-) More seriously though, it's a very different kind of book, not really comparable.; 2/12/10 9:36 PM
Frances said...: I LOVE THIS BOOK. I was wandering around Ariel Books in Circular Quay and just stumbled upon it. While I was reading, I kept laughing then shoving the Boyfriend to exclaim "LOOK AT THIS PAGE".

I bought it for my baby niece, though I wanted to keep it for myself. I heard later that my brother-in-law read it and kept cacking himself. He's 37.; 2/12/10 10:05 PM
mimbles said...: I've read it several times over just for me since talking about it on Twitter recently :-); 2/12/10 10:43 PM
Candy said...: I zipped over to look at The Story Behind the Diary of a Wombat - hilarious. Of course I'll have to buy the book now:) Thanks for the tip, Mim!; 3/12/10 1:46 AM
hyperion79 said...: I absolutley love this book, a perfect instant laugh and pick-me-up. For a little while it had Elf crunching carrots like Mothball... until she solemnly announced that she was a GIRL not a 'ombat. *sigh*; 3/12/10 6:55 AM
Leslie said...: sounds like a cute book. I can't wait to check it out.
Have a great weekend; 3/12/10 12:33 PM