My thanks to the publishers for a review copy.

The Fire Wombat is published by Angus & Robertson, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, on 29 October 2020. Award-winning author Jackie Frenchs love of wombats comes alive in this cheeky observation of Mothballs life, while Bruce Whatleys captivating illustrations. This lovely picture book is perfect in the way it encompasses its environmental theme and deals with a very dark and traumatic experience for so many Australian children, while also offering hope for the future. The author’s note at the end of the book urges people to donate to a wildlife charity if they wish to help after disasters, or get training in how to care for wild animals. The little wombat at the heart of the story survives. That is, until human intervention delivers life saving food and water to the devastated fire grounds. Jackies writing career spans 25 years, 148 wombats, over 140 books, 36 languages, 3,721 bush rats, and over 60 awards in Australia and overseas. When the fires have passed, they face starvation and thirst. She is also an historian, ecologist, dyslexic, and a passionate worker for literacy, the right of all children to be able to read, and the power of books. In The Fire Wombat, the terrifying fires drive many animals from their homes, some to shelter in a wombat burrow deep in the earth. She is passionate and vocal about the wildlife that shares her land, and has published many books about these animals, including her well loved Wombat series. Jackie French AM is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator, the 20142015 Australian Childrens Laureate and the 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. Jackie lives in the Araluen Valley near Braidwood in southeastern NSW, an area that experienced those appalling fires during that summer. The Fire Wombat takes the trauma and devastation of the 2019/2020 summer bushfires across eastern Australia and crafts a gentle fable about how even the smallest of beings can survive with the support of others. The wonderful Jackie French is back with another picture book, this one illustrated by Danny Snell.

Jackie french wombat books