Then, a Goodreads friend alerted me to this book – and I simply had to have it. It arrived today, and did not disappoint. The illustrations are superb, and the story (though limited in vocabulary and variety of scene) immediately grabbed both me and my husband. This article explores the findings from the first “diversity count” of Australian children’s picture books, conducted in 2019 in partnership with advocacy group Voices from the Intersection (VFTI). Specifically, this article explores the eighty-three percent of 2018 Australian children’s picture books that did not feature a marginalized protagonist: namely, those that featured human characters who could not be identified as marginalized in any way, animals, and inhuman protagonists. We propose that the Australian publishing industry, rather than suffering from a “diversity deficit,” instead overrepresents a narrow demographic of human experiences and non-human protagonists. We suggest that the oversaturation of the local children’s picture book market with such similar stories disadvantages all children, who are denied a rich and diverse reading experience, as well as the opportunity to see themselves and their peers depicted. This article provides greater insight into the current debates about diversity and inclusion in children’s media.'(Publication abstract) What I’m Reading (Aloud) Sarah Burnside,

Ask students to create a list oftheirmorning routine before school - incorporating the use of a colon. With a lazy, roly-poly character like this wombat, you aren’t going to get a complicated plan. The plan is simple: to walk to the family’s front door and make a nuisance of oneself until food is provided. Create a timeline of events by listing mothball’s activities under each day’s heading. Display thelistin the classroom. single work picture book Abstract Heidi Maier surveys the nominations for the Best Picture Book category of the Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards and gives her judgement on which book deserves to win the 2003 award. Small Wonders Gail MacCallum, Since our main character a wombat she is unable to communicate what she wants to the humans. This is one of the reasons animals are so common in picture books. They are like young children, also unable to communicate what they need in words.In all honesty, this book was quite a funny read to begin with. Fortunately, there was a copy of this book in my placement school, that I couldn’t resist to read it a couple of times. The book is depicted with soft tone illustrations. It is about the life of an Australian wild animal that is quite demanding and cannot be tamed. A week journal from Monday to Sunday and what the wombat activity consists off. I say wild, yet it has a confident approach to the human’s territory. The wombat is so cute, that any act that doesn’t perceived to be right to the adult is forgiven instantly. Even though he seems to be a bit pesky, in its own view he doesn’t seem that he is doing anything wrong! He lives a simple life, sleep and eating carrots and oat. (Promoting healthy eating!) Q. What is Mothball describing as a ‘flat, hairy creature?’ Response: The doormat. (Text participant) They will research their pet (animal) andfind out about it's daily activities and habits,(what it likes to do), it's diet (what it eats) and how it lives with humans. Notes: Books and information about domestic animals are available in the classroom for students to use in their research. They can choose whatever pet they like, andmust refer to the criteria sheet when completing their diary writing. (see below) Develop Criteria Sheet for Diary Writing exercise with the whole class - through discussion and revision of 'Diary of a Wombat' and previous lessons.

Meanjin Online 2018 ; Visions and Values : The Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Prizing of Picture Books in the Twenty-First Century Erica Hateley,

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The wombat has simple needs and lives in a wombat utopia — a rural human environment with a large supply of carrots growing in the garden, good soil for digging holes and everything else she could possibly want. The wombat’s stand-out feature is that she wants for nothing. But for narrative drive, a story requires that the main character want something.

This is an oblivious character who doesn’t see the havoc she wreaks behind her. She doesn’t realise the humans filled up her hole because they didn’t want a hole. Unlike Peter Rabbit, she doesn’t realise the carrots in the garden have been planted there by someone and that she thieved them. She thinks she happened upon them. WHAT DOES SHE WANT? In small groups students can read aloud their diary entries and select the best one (peer assessment) to go forward to the class competition, based on the agreed criteria above. Whole class sharing - the selected student from each group can read aloud and share their diary writing. Unusually for a children’s book, the wombat is female yet has not been given any typically feminine markers, such as a big pink bow. This is partly to do with the realistic style of art. (There is no obvious sexual dimorphism in wombats — you can’t easily tell the sex of a wombat unless you’re an expert.) I wonder if you assumed the wombat was male until “For Pete’s sake! Give her some carrots!” A study by Janet McCabe told us that unless animal characters are given obvious female markers then we tend to read them as male.Shortlisted - Australian Publisher's Association Book Design Awards for Best Designed Children's Picture Book (2003) By the way, comic characters often have insatiable appetites. In a comedy ensemble you’ll usually get one who is obsessed with food.

Explain Task: Students are going to imagine they were a family pet. (of their choice) and write a diary account of one day in the life of this pet. single work picture book The Children's Book Council of Australia Annual Awards 2003 2003 single work column The human family are in opposition to the wombat not because the humans are trying to get rid of her, but because they have different goals which cannot coexist: Ask students to discuss the story 'The Wombat Diary' in theirgroups, with reference to the class timeline (displayed),and identify Mothball's main motive in life, then describe how he achieves it.

Continue reading - give students a purpose. i.e. ask students to look for and explain the things that we know, but Mothball doesn’t. Interview with my 4 year old (who won the book by scratching her ear with her toe, just like a wombat)** An activity for the children will be writing a week journal themselves, monitor what they have done during the week even though it might be simple words.