What, exactly, do wombats do all day? One enterprising wombat answers that question and a few others in a diary form in French's (No Such Thing) tongue-in-cheek picture book. After explaining his unique Australian heritage, the star of this volume paints a funny, if rather dull, picture of his daily routine. "Monday Morning: Slept. Afternoon: Slept. Evening: Ate grass. Scratched. Night: Ate grass." Things begin to perk up, however, when the wombat discovers its new human neighbors. Before long, the always-hungry creature is at his neighbors' door begging for food (preferably carrots or oats), digging in their garden ("Began new hole in soft dirt") and turning their belongings into scratching posts. Happily, the human family appears to take the antics of their adopted wild "pet" in stride (though the wombat sees things a bit differently "Have decided that humans are easily trained and make quite good pets"). Whatley (the Detective Donut books) appears to relish this character study. He paints the chocolate-brown wombat in numerous poses and expressions - rolling, scratching, sleeping, chewing - on an ample white background. The artist gives the star expressive eyes without anthropomorphizing him. The often cuddly looking wombat may leave some readers envious of its languid lifestyle. Ages 4-8. In Simplified Chinese characters.
By Jackie French, Paperback, Illustrated by Bruce Whatley, Simplified Chinese Characters, 28 pages, 11.25"x8.25"
