Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Counting and Rhyming: Wombat Walkabout


This is another one of those great stories that uses rhymes to make it even more fun to read aloud. Wombat Walkabout (Dutton Children's Books, 2009), written by Carol Diggory Shields and illustrated by Sophie Blackall is a simple yet delightful picture book about a group of wombat friends who head out for a nice walk in the woods but end up being snatched up by a hungry dingo. One by one the friends disappear from the group until the last two very clever wombats hatch a plan to rescue their "mates."

The dialogue and drawings are cute and funny. My daughters especially enjoyed searching for the dingo on each page as well as hearing the Aussie words and names scattered throughout the story, making it feel very authentic. Can't say the same for my attempt at an Aussie accent though! This book even offers a glossary of Australian words at the beginning in case you aren't already familiar. Have a go!