Little wombat's Easter surprise by Charles Fuge

Easter is just around the corner, so an Australian book about that time of the year, full of the cuddliest of animals, a koala, wombat and bilby is sure to please readers both local and overseas. And bringing a rabbit into the story gives a neat comparison of the bilby and rabbit, both favourites at Easter. 

When Little Wombat is searching the undergrowth for eggs, somebody rushes past. He thinks it is Rabbit but there are things about this animal that are not rabbit like. He pulls his tail, then turns him around and pulls at this long nose. Suddenly Rabbit appears at this shoulder, and Little Wombat realises that this animal is not a rabbit, and Rabbit tells him that this is Bilby. The three animals then compare each other, they look at their attributes which will intrigue younger readers, giving them the opportunity to see what makes each animal different from the other. We hear about their tails, their snouts, and their ability to dig, the cute watercolour illustrations demonstrating what is in the text. Younger readers will love seeing these Australian animals, alongside a very English one, the rabbit, and see how both the rabbit and bilby fit into the Easter theme.

In the evening, the animals are invited back to Little Wombat’s burrow to share the eggs. Many more eggs have appeared. Koala has joined them and they soon see that Bilby is the one who has left the eggs for them all. An Easter Bilby has been.

Kids will love talking about Easter and what it means to them: Easter Rabbit or Easter Bilby, chocolate eggs and the hunt for the eggs. The book gives a wonderful introduction to the meaning of Easter for many people, and the lovely watercolour illustrations will ensure young readers look closely at the detail given and learn more about what makes these animals unique.

Themes: Australian animals, Bilby, Rabbit, Wombat, Koala, Easter, Eggs, Sharing.

Fran Knight