Ten Silly Wombats

Ten Silly Wombats by Ed Allen, illustrated by Andrea Edmonds (Scholastic Australia)
PB RRP $13.99
ISBN 978-1-74283-638-6
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Ten Silly Wombats is a charming backwards counting book read to the rhythm of Ten Green Bottles. The ten wombats start off boarding a bus to Sillyville and, one by one, they drop out of the action until only one remains, walking home by himself.

The rhyme is a little awkward in places but this is mainly because, as a reader, I’m trying to squish the words into the bottle song. A few read-throughs would smooth this out. And the text is great with some inventive ways for the wombats to fall out of the count such as the silly wombat who ‘should fly a little wide’ as they all go down the waterslide.

The illustrations are fabulous. Each wombat has his/her own distinctive style and personality and the reader can track which ones have disappeared from the story. Also, the relevant number is hidden somewhere within every picture for children to find.

Ten Silly Wombats has a wonderful ending. After a few readings, preschool aged children will be singing along with the story and maybe making even up a few verses of their own.