Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
First seen in Diary of a Wombat, the cuddly critter with an astonishingly low energy level and a keen nose for carrots is again on the trail of his favorite snack. This time, he is an unwitting stowaway on Santa's sleigh, which finds him circumnavigating the globe and duking it out with the reindeer for the precious veggies at each stop. Employing the same halting, deadpan tone of the previous books ("Strange creatures trying to eat my carrots!/ Got rid of them./ Again"), French provides Whatley with bare-bones scaffolding on which to build comic moments of Wombat munching, napping, and tussling with reindeer. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-2-Wombat's many fans will welcome this tale as the single-minded creature sleeps, scratches, eats carrots, and fights a "major battle with strange creatures" that are eating his carrots. A nap on Santa's sleigh provides him with the chance to see the world and discover that carrots have been left at various places. Knowing children will soon realize that all of these carrots have been left out for Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve, but Wombat is none the wiser at the end. He just knows that these creatures "can be useful for finding carrots." Charming and slight, the humor shines through the spare text and Whatley's expressive paintings of the lazy wombat.-Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this holiday-themed entry in their successful series, French and Whatley introduce their lovable wombat character to Santa and his reindeer. A bearlike Australian animal, the wombat likes to sleep, hide in holes and eat. This wombat especially likes to eat carrots, and the witty, understated plot focuses on the wombat's intensive search for more and more carrots. The brief, first-person narration, using just a few words per page, describes the wombat's activities and its discovery of carrots set out for some "strange creatures" (Santa's reindeer). The wombat chomps every carrot in sight, stows away in Santa's sleigh and beats the reindeer to their carrot treats at stops around the world. The little wombat is oblivious to the significance of Santa and the reindeer, though readers will understand all the Christmas connections, with many of the funny plot twists revealed through the illustrations. The brief, ironic text and the humorous expressions of the wombat and reindeer are delightfully comical, providing a satisfying story that will appeal to the whole family, from toddlers through adults. The wombat hopes those strange carrot-attracting creatures will be back soon, and young readers will hope the lovable wombat returns for more cleverly constructed carrot quests. (Picture book. 2-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
