Jackie French (text) and Bruce Whatley (illustrator), Diary of a rescued wombat: The Untold Story, Harper Collins Publishers, November 2022, 32 pp., RRP $24,99 (hbk), ISBN 9781460761823
Diary of a Rescued Wombat commemorates the 20th anniversary of Diary of a Wombat – the first picture book in a series about pet wombat Mothball, produced by two of Australia’s great creators of children’s literature – Jackie French and Bruce Whatley.
This latest Mothball story takes the reader back to the beginning when she was rescued. Whatley’s illustrations and French’s brief text tell the story of her transformation, over a year, from a frightened baby wombat being rescued, to self-satisfied comfort and eventual autonomy over her circumstances as she successfully “trains” her humans to meet her demands.
One word or short phrases, arranged as monthly diary entries, accompanied by Whatley’s illustrations of Mothball’s amusing antics, have a format that cleverly enables tongue in cheek humour, with the brief text relaying Mothball’s single-minded viewpoint of her needs whilst the corresponding illustrations depict the problematic (sometimes destructive) outcomes of her determination to have those needs met. The illustrations also add emotional meaning and context to the words, with variations in Mothball’s facial expressions and body posture.
With ironic humour for adults and older picture book readers, appealing illustrations of a cuddly wombat, Mothball’s amusing cheekiness, plenty of learning and discussion points (cycle of a calendar year, communication, care for native animals) and brevity of text well suited for beginner reading practice – there’s something for the whole family in this excellent picture book. It’s a “must-have” for library picture book collections and a terrific addition to a home set of picture books.
Review by Barbara Swartz
