The Wild Wombat by Udo Weigelt, illustrated by Melanie Freund. PICTURE BOOK. Minedition, 2018. $18. 9789888341795 BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH A parrot in the zoo overhears the zookeepers say that they need to be careful with the wild wombat who will be arriving soon. The parrot passes this information on to a polar who passes it on to other animals and each time the description of the wombat gets more and more scary. My favorite part of this story was the very understated ending in which the wombat asks where all the animals, who are apparently too scared to welcome him, are. I think young readers will be able to relate to the way stories morph as they are told and see the humor in this. They will also learn a little about an actual wombat. Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher