Wombat Said Come In

When my online friend and #PBChat mentor Brian Lies told me he'd been commissioned to illustrate a story about a wombat welcoming other bush creatures into his home, I was a little surprised. I had never heard of American books about wombats. I was used to Jackie French's famous 'Diary of a Wombat', which is based on her own experience of both rescuing and living with wombats on her bush property. Like most Australians, I associate wombats and other Australian animals with exclusively Australian literature. But when I googled stories about wombats, I discovered that there are two other wombat books that are published overseas, and they are also about animals sharing the wombat's burrow.

'Wombat Underground' is also written by an American, and 'Room for More' is by an Australian who spends half her time in Canada. 'Wombat Underground' is the most authentic story, insofar as it describes quite realistically what happens in a bushfire: wombats don't habitually welcome other animals into their burrows, but sometimes they have little choice. In reality, it's likely that there is always room in a wombat burrow for other creatures, as the burrows extend in all directions and have many entrances. 'Room for More' is more of an allegory about how we will be rewarded if we are generous to others who are less fortunate.

I wasn't sure what angle Carmen Agra Deedy was going to take, given there are two other approaches already on the market. She says the story was inspired by her own experience as a refugee, so I expected a similar allegory about generosity being rewarded by gratitude - but in fact, this is a far darker, and perhaps more realistic tale in terms of human behaviour. Wombat, understandably, isn't too sure about letting all and sundry into his house. He's a character a little like Badger in 'Wind in the Willows', who's very fond of his own company and his little routines. But he uses his rhyming mantra "Come in! Come in! From smoke and din and howling wind, come in, my friend, come in!" every time a new creature arrives, as if trying to convince himself that this is a necessary inconvenience. However, the creatures are far from grateful for his generosity. They take over the house like selfish teenagers, expecting Wombat to wait on them. Surely this isn't the way Carmen and her family would have behaved?

Nevertheless, it teaches the reader a lesson: sometimes your generosity goes disregarded, but there are times when it's genuinely needed. Wombat grimly tolerates the situation until it's finally safe to go outside, and then he is perfectly justified in rounding on his guests and sending them out to find their homes. None of them thank him except the one creature who is perhaps the only genuine refugee: Sugar Glider has no home to go to. And maybe this is Agra Deedy's real message: there are plenty of people who will rudely take advantage of a temporary situation, but when they are permanently exiled from their own homes, they are truly humbled. Wombat, for all his cantankerousness, acknowledges Sugar Glider's tragic situation, and welcomes him into his home again.

So this book is not so much about Australian animals as it is about right and wrong ways for humans to behave. This makes it a great book for starting discussions. On the other hand, Brian Lies' animal illustrations are highly realistic, apart from the fact that Wombat wears clothes and lives in a cosy house full of familiar-looking furniture. There are many tongue-in-cheek references to Australia, such as the souvenir mugs, the Anzac biscuits, the Harbour Bridge decoration on the arms of his armchair and the inevitable hat with corks on it. Thus there are plenty of other discussion points that could be raised about the general behaviour and eating habits of Australian animals (eg, koalas consume nothing but eucalyptus leaves), as well as interesting facts about Australia in general.

Younger children might be confused by the rudeness of the rescued animals, but they will be entranced by the pictures. Lies delights in unusual angles, such as the view of Kookaburra between Wombat's legs, and an aerial shot of Wombat offering his handkerchiefs to Platypus. Wombat's repeated verse could be acted out by the reader with mounting levels of impatience and frustration, until the final page when he says 'Come in' with genuine warmth and kindness. Lies masterfully portrays a well-meaning but plainly solitude-loving animal, who has learnt in the final scene to accept the necessity of sharing his home with the one animal who has nowhere to go.