Wombat Said Come In

by Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrated by Brian Lies
A kindhearted wombat offers refuge to a parade of animal friends during an Australian bushfire in a delightful new picture book from New York Times best-selling creators Carmen Agra Deedy and Brian Lies.
  • ISBN: 9781682633212
  • Publication date: 10/04/2022
  • Page Count: 32
  • Size: 11" x 9"
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  • ISBN: 9781682633212
  • Publication date: 10/04/2022
  • Page Count: 32
  • Size: 11" x 9"
  • Price:
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  • ISBN: 9781682634714
  • Publication date: 10/04/2022
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Description

A kindhearted wombat offers refuge to a parade of animal friends during an Australian bushfire in a delightful new picture book from New York Times best-selling creators Carmen Agra Deedy and Brian Lies.

Australian bushfires roar above Wombat’s home. He is fortunate that his burrow is deep below ground and he is safe. He snuggles under his crazy quilt and drinks his tea. Soon his frightened friend Wallaby shows up at his door. “Oh Wombat! I c-c-can’t reach my home! M-m-may I stay with you awhile?”

Wombat pauses only for a tick of the clock, and says, “Come in!”

Then, one by one, five uniquely Australian animals – the Wallaby, a Kookaburra, a Platypus, a Koala, and a Sugar Glider – seek refuge from the fires, and Wombat welcomes them all. When you have the heart of a wombat, there’s always room for one more!

Fellowship, empathy, and adorable Australian animals star in this delightfully heartwarming and funny story about help in the time of trouble from New York Times best-selling author Carmen Agra Deedy (14 Cows for America, The Library Dragon, The Rooster Who Would Not Stay Quiet) and Caldecott Honor-winning and New York Times best-selling illustrator Brian Lies (The Rough Patch, Bats at the Beach).

The book will delight children with Deedy’s engaging story and Lies masterfully rendered animals. It is an ideal read-aloud for adults seeking a story with humor and heart. Generosity and kindness provide powerful SEL themes. Older readers will get a glimpse of the unique environmental challenges presented by the country’s annual bushfire season.

Author/Illustrator

Carmen Agra Deedy

Author

Carmen Agra Deedy, a New York Times bestselling author, has been writing and traveling around the world telling stories for more than twenty years. Her books have received numerous awards and honors. Carmen has performed in many prestigious venues, but children are her favorite audience. Born in Havana, Cuba, she came to the United States as a refugee and like most immigrants sees the world from multiple perspectives. She lives in Georgia.

Brian Lies

Illustrator

Brian Lies has illustrated over thirty books, including the 2019 Caldecott Honor-winning The Rough Patch, which also won a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Crystal Kite Award, and the New York Times bestselling bat series (Bats at the BeachBats at the LibraryBats at the Ballgame, and Bats in the Band). He now lives in a seaside town in Massachusetts with his wife, daughter, and two cats. His hobbies are bicycling, woodworking, and tending a big vegetable garden behind the house.

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Reviews

“Welcome is at the heart of Carmen Agra Deedy’s story. . . . rendered in charming detail by Brian Lies..”—The New York Times

“The dry wit of the text is matched by art that is both detailed in illustrating each animal and hilarious in showing poor Wombat’s trials. . . . A superb read-aloud balancing messages about the environment and generosity with humor and heart.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Entertaining and richly colored acrylics and colored-pencil illustrations—including a bonus cutaway displaying Wombat’s snug three-level underground abode. . . .”—Booklist

“Educators will find multiple curricular connections for this tale of hospitality, climate, and displacement, but young readers will likely be most attracted to the humor in text and art and the personalities of the animal neighbors.”—The Horn Book

Acrylic and colored pencil renderings by Lies (the Little Bat series) of Wombat’s multilevel burrow, which include an elaborate cutaway, instantly establish it a place of safety and comfort. . . .  With unspoken but unmistakable reference to the ravages of climate change, the creators underscore the idea that hospitality is not always about politesse—it can be a matter of life and death..”—Publishers Weekly

“Welcoming those in distress, be they friends or strangers, is a message that benefits all students. This title does just that with charming and humorous ­detail in both words and pictures.”—School Library Journal

Awards

Storytelling World Resource Award ―Storytelling World, 2024

Resources

Resources: Event Kit, Poster, Teacher's Guide

Educator’s Guide
Poster
Storytime Kit

More Details

BISAC 1: JUV039060 Juvenile Fiction – Social Themes – Friendship
BISAC 2: JUV029030 Juvenile Fiction – Science & Nature – Disasters
BISAC 3: JUV030080 Juvenile Fiction – People & Places – Australia & Oceania

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