School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--Wombat is not worried that a fire is in the air. He is about to settle into his comfy chair with his slippers and a cup of tea when one by one his animal friends--a platypus, koala, kookaburra, wallaby, and sugar glider--frantically enter and unsettle his peaceful abode. He bids them welcome with the repeated phrase, "Come in! Come in! From smoke and din and howling wind, come in, my friend, come in!" The friends are all welcome, but when at last the air clears, Wombat is less than gentle in his urgency to send his house guests on their way. The illustrations capture the characters in their various states of distress, and Deedy's language welcomes all readers and listeners into a story that celebrates friendship and tolerance. Children will enjoy the wombat quiz that precedes the story, and they will root for each adorable creature as they find a way into Wombat's home, some more peacefully than others. Much different in tone from the less-anthropomorphized Australian wildfire story, Wombat Underground, this title focuses on the universal need for comfort and tolerance in the face of adverse situations. VERDICT Welcoming those in distress, be they friends or strangers, is a message that benefits all students. This title does just that with charming and humorous detail in both words and pictures.--John Scott
Publisher's Weekly Review
Fire is raging outside his burrow, but Wombat "was not worried." Acrylic and colored pencil renderings by Lies (the Little Bat series) of Wombat's multilevel burrow, which include an elaborate cutaway, instantly establish it a place of safety and comfort. Wombat generously offers this home to five frightened animals who appear at his door in turn, each greeted by Agra Deedy's (Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day) refrain: "Wombat said, 'Come in!'/ Wombat said, 'Come in!/ From smoke and din/ and howling wind,/ come in, my friend, come in!' " Wallaby immediately commandeers Wombat's beloved quilt, Kookaburra snags the host's favorite chair, and the house is in short order a mess. The danger finally passes, and stretched-to-the-limit Wombat (the only clothes-wearing animal), announces that his guests must "Skedaddle! Shoo! Go home!" But when pocket-size Sugar Glider reveals having nowhere to go--a moment of pause in the otherwise rollicking telling--Wombat changes the critter's status to full-time roommate. With unspoken but unmistakable reference to the ravages of climate change, the creators underscore the idea that hospitality is not always about politesse--it can be a matter of life and death. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. Illustrator's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. (Oct.)
