Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French

We often talk about how we as humans have become the lion of the jungle when it comes to controlling the animals of our home environment.  Have we ever considered, however, how the animals might be training us?  In the humorous story line of Diary of a Wombat, Jackie French makes children think about how some animals can just outsmart us.

French presents this theme through the daily musings of the wombat, a small, burrowing, bear-like animal that lives only in Australia (for those who have a bit of wombat-mania more information can be found here).  French takes the reader through a week in the life of the wombat, which is more or less a variation of his Monday schedule:

"Morning: Slept.  Afternoon: Slept.  Evening: Ate grass.  Scratched.  Night: Ate grass.  Slept."

Occasionally the wombat decides to burrow holes, scratch at a door to demand his dinner (his human neighbors' carrots) and fight with big, furry creatures (the human's doormat).  The wombat's human neighbors try to fend off the wombat by blocking off holes and boarding off doors, but the humans find themselves giving the wombat more carrots just to stop his ruckus of searching through trashcans in the backyard.  After a week of the battle, the wombat comes to the conclusion "that humans are easily trained and make quite good pets."

Children will have a hoot thinking about the role reversal between humans and their pets.  Perhaps children might have a few stories to relate about new puppies, kittens, or other pets when the animals seemed to be in control.  Diary of a Wombat also presents a great opportunity to talk about one of Australia's most endangered animals, and how humans have affected the species.

Bruce Whatley's illustrations top off the humor.  Whatley creates a rolly-poly huggable wombat who looks completely innocent while sleeping in a ball but up to mischief when he wakes up.  With so little text, Whatley is truly talented as he creates a story that extends beyond the words.   The humans' facial expressions when the wombat digs up their yard all the way to the drawing of the wombat's backside when he's unsatisfied with his human "pets" just will make you laugh and love the wombat even more.

The Association for Library Service to Children named Diary of a Wombat a 2994 Notable Children's Book.  Diary of a Wombat is just one of more than eighty books by Jackie French which includes children's books, adult fiction, and gardening and cook books.