Wombat dreaming by Caz Goodwin. Illus. by Zoe Bennet

A wombat doing yoga does not seem the most compatible exercise regime for the squat short legged animal,  but Lil is one determined little wombat. She joins her friends on their yoga mats one Sunday morning, ready for stretches and some fun.

Emu and Dingo both show what they can do, encouraging others to follow their lead. But each time Lil tries she wobble and falls over. She so wants to join the group, and be as good as the others, but all to no avail, she simply can not do it. As tears fall, she goes back into her burrow, and thinks about what she can do to overcome her inability, to do the poses the other animals do. She makes her way to the class the next Sunday morning. There she shows the animals her move. She calls it Wombat Dreaming and has her rolling over to land on her back and then spend some time lying down. The other animals cheer and clap, eager to practise the new move.

A lovely story to engage readers with a host of well drawn Australian animals: seeing them in yoga poses will cause laughter, especially with the very round wombat finding it difficult. But we all have skills we might not be aware of, and trying to find that skill means thought and practice. Lil keeps on trying to find her skill to join in with the others, and eventually finds something they can all do well.

Children will love recognising the Australian animals shown, and work out why some can do things the wombat cannot do. The images show a range of animals doing the strangest of things, a frog on one leg with arms pointing upward, or the little mouse joining in. But the best is that of all the animals following Lil’s lead and lying on their backs, looking very relaxed after their efforts.

The story will encourage readers to think about how they relax, and the value of exercising as a group.

Themes: Yoga, Exercise, Wombats, Australian animals, Determination, Relaxation.

Fran Knight