Warm, Humorous and Endearing: 20 Years of the Little Wombat!

With over 1 million books sold, the beloved Little Wombat series continues to garner international recognition for its warm and humorous depiction of an iconic marsupial.

The series has soft-toned illustrations along with lyrically rhyming text to make an uplifting bedtime story for chidren aged 3+. The series celebrates everything from playing with your friends and making lots of noise, to cuddling up with a parent.

Here, we list all five books in the series for current and future generations to cherish and grow up with:

Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill and illustrated by Charles Fuge

This is the first book in the Little Wombat series. Little Wombat spends a day doing his favourite things: strutting around and around like a pigeon until he falls down, sticking out his tongue and pulling funny faces. But when the sun sets and the day ends he does the thing he likes best of all: going back home to his mother and curling into a ball.

Found You, Little Wombat by Angela McAllister and illustrated Charles Fuge

Little Wombat loves playing hide-and-seek with his friends, even though he doesn’t understand all the rules of the game. So when it’s his turn to look, Rabbit and Koala suggest he counts 10 flowers and searches for them. But Little Wombat doesn’t count the pink blossoms beside him, he wanders far away, over the hill, looking for yellow ones. Suddenly, he realises that he’s all alone. But that he can depend on his friends and his mum coming to the rescue.

Swim, Little Wombat, Swim by Charles Fuge

Little Wombat is so excited! He’s found a fun new friend to play with who walks strangely, has a funny little face and, most amazingly of all, can swim like a fish in the water! But when Platypus tries teaching Little Wombat to swim, Rabbit and Koala begin to wonder if wombats should, after all, stick to dry land!

You’re the Best, Mum! by Charles Fuge

Little Wombat loves his mum because she encourages him to bravely explore the world around him, and she is always there to comfort him when he’s sad or pick him up when he falls. You’re The Best, Mum! is a celebration of the special bond between mother and child.

Watch Out, Little Wombat by Charles Fuge

Little Wombat is hunting the bunyip – a mythical creature said to inhabit swamps, bogs, and riverbeds. He’s convinced Bunyip exists, even if his friends Rabbit and Koala don’t agree. So Little Wombat sets off alone to find the muddy monster…

Meet the creators

Charles Fuge has been writing and illustrating since 1988. His first picture book, Bush Vark’s First Day Out, won The Macmillan Prize and was published whilst he was in his second year at Camberwell School of Art. A year later it went on to win The Mother Goose Award for best newcomer to children’s picture books. He lives in Dorset with his partner, Sarah, and their son Ollie.

Vicki Churchill is an author, artist and photographer who wrote the modern classic, Sometimes I Like to Curl Up In a Ball, in her 20s. Originally a poem about childhood, it soon became obvious it was the perfect narrative for a children’s book, and a wonderful text to accompany Charlie Fuge’s, newly created wombat character. In 2018 she commenced an MA in Creative Writing at Oxford Brookes, and is currently working on her debut poetry pamphlet.

Angela McAllister is the author of over 70 books for children and teens. Her books have won several awards, including the Red House Book Award for Yuck! That’s Not a Monster! and the Stockport and Portsmouth Awards for My Mum has X-Ray Vision. Her picturebook, Leon and the Place Between has been adapted for the stage and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award. She has collaborated with many illustrators, including Grahame Baker-Smith, Alex T. Smith, Margaret Chamberlain, Ross Collins and Peter Bailey.