Title: Wombat
Author & Illustrator: Philip Bunting
Published: November 2020
Publisher: Scholastic
Readership: Children
Genre: Picturebook
Rating: ★★★★★
RRP: $17.99
I received a copy of Wombat from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A rhythmic, read-aloud (and rather silly) burrow into the unseen world of the wombat.
It’s true: I am now a lifelong fan of anything Philip Bunting publishes!
Wombat is the delightfully cute book that is all about the burrowing marsupial that’s just a bit quirky. Not so much a factual text as it is a delightful romp through characterisation of the beloved Australian animal, this book is a lot of fun.
Philip Bunting takes the word ‘wombat’ and transforms it in so many different ways throughout the book (my personal favourite being the Om-nom-nom-nombat eating a donut!). It makes it the perfect book to read to young children and to teach them how to play with language, recognise rhyming words, and come up with some of their own.
Not only is the word play delightful, but so are the distinctive illustrations. Bunting has an instantly recognisable style, and it’s so much fun to look at. The colour palette choice for Wombat is great – lots of yellows, browns, teachers, off-whites and black – that make it very visually striking.
It made my heart happy to turn each page and see which wombat came next!
Noveltea Corner 