Diary of a Rescued Wombat (Jackie French, illus by Bruce Whatley, HarperCollins)
Who says prequels are only for YA epics and fantasy novel franchises? Jackie French and Bruce Whatley have decided it’s time for us to learn the backstory of the protagonist of their wildly successful Diary of a Wombat series, which first hit our bookshelves 20 years ago. In the now-familiar charming, chunky, persistent, steadfast wombat tone we have come to love, little orphaned Mothball is found and rescued, quickly embracing life with her humans, so long as grass and carrots are always plentiful and fresh. When her favourite nibbles are not available, she chomps through all sorts of other things— socks, toilet paper, shoelaces—in her endless quest for carrots and grass and more carrots and more grass. She plods along through her world, digging holes, ploughing through trifling obstacles like wooden doors, and generally sneaking her way into her humans’ (and our) hearts. Her voice is exactly what you would imagine from a stocky young wombat— Mothball knows her own mind and is a creature of few words. Whatley’s illustrations match the tone: sparse composition with little background reminds us that the story here is Mothball’s and what you see is what you get. There’s nothing new in this latest wombat diary, if you’ve read any of the others, but it’s another smile-sparking missive from the annals of a little being with simple tastes and beguiling determination.
Anica Boulanger-Mashberg is a freelance editor, writer, and reviewer, and has worked as a bookseller at The Hobart Bookshop for over 10 years.
