6 January 2001 DON'T PAT THE WOMBAT by Elizabeth Honey, Knopf, June 2000

Last week we traveled to Yosemite for a few days. The kids wanted to play in thesnow, so each day we'd travel by shuttle bus up to Badger Pass. During the 40 minute rides up and down the mountain I read aloud this absolutely wonderful book, previously published in Australia where it won several awards. It will be released in paperback this summer.

DON'T PAT THE WOMBAT is the story of a boy named Jonah who moves from his family's failed farm out in the bush country into town. There, he joins up with the group of 6th grade boys including Mark, who is the book's narrator. They are a fun, easygoing bunch except for having to deal with an unpleasant, alcoholic teacher who they refer to as The Bomb. When the boys travel to camp for a week in a school sanctioned trip and a teacher suddenly gets sick, the stage is set for a climactic confrontation between the boys and The Bomb.

The book is a winner. Not only did my own kids demand that I read nonstop on those shuttle trips, but a pair of somebody else's kids would board the bus and ask me shyly whether I was going to read more of the book.

Richie Partington

Richie's Picks

BudNotBuddy@aol.com