Happy Book Birthday to Wombat
Wombat Underground is on sale this week! And as a book birthday present, a stunning STARRED review from Shelf Awareness:
In an emotionally strong picture book based on natural science, a wombat generously opens his home to other Australian creatures fleeing from a bushfire. Thomson’s dramatic, terse language quickly communicates the serious situation. Santoso’s digital illustrations are striking and tense, making the life-or-death situation the animals face painfully clear. . . .Wombat Underground will likely engender discussion about animals in such precarious situations, but also about how people can protect others (human and animal) in times of danger.
They also called me “prolific” (thanks! I think? One could be a prolific writer of bad prose, I guess, but I am choosing to take it as a compliment) so overall this review thrills me to my toes.
So glad to know what Wombat is out in the world and finding his way to the readers who love him!
Read MoreHappy Holidays
One of my holidays gifts was the recent news that WOMBAT UNDERGROUND will have a French edition. With the help of Google Translate, I have learned that the French word for “wombat” is “le wombat.”
This fills me with delight.
May the dark of winter bring you restful nights, and may the slowly returning light bring us all into a new year where hope continues to bloom–perhaps in unexpected places. And where even grumpy wombats can do a surprising amount of good.
Read MorePygmy Possums
The world’s tiniest possums are tougher than they look–after they were feared extinct following Australia’s devastating 2019-20 bushfires, survivors have been found on Kangaroo Island. Wildlife is amazingly resilient–as the animal protagonists of my new picture book, Wombat Underground, discover.
Mostly I just wanted to post a picture of an intensely adorable possum. I admit it.
Read MoreWombats Coming Soon
Wombat himself, illustrated by Charles Santoso–just a snippet of the lovely, lovely art for this book
Today I’m looking forward to the day when (about a year from now; we in the publishing business live in the future a lot) my picture book Wombat Underground will be published. This is a book close to my heart; it holds so much of my feelings about both the natural world and the nature of humanity–essentially, when we’re frightened and alone, do we welcome in strangers who are also frightened and alone? Do we shelter each other, or do we drive each other way?
(Yeah, it’s not just about wombats)
But it is also a charming and exciting story about a wombat and a bushfire, and it’s just…I’m really proud of it. I can’t wait for the day when you all get to see it too.
Read MoreSarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Readers will treasure the blossoming friendship between opposites in this whimsically illustrated tale. Short chapters and plenty of action make for an accessible and appealing reading experience. . . . Touching and inspiring.”
—Kirkus Reviews