Review: Dippy's Big Day Out

Attention wombat fans! Just when you thought it was not possible to find another hero to rival Mothball of Diary of a Wombat fame, along comes Dippy.

Dippy is a diprotodon, which is a giant prehistoric version of a wombat. He lived 100,000 years ago, yet has some incredible similarities with his modern wombat relatives.

Dippy just wants to sleep, eat and find friends. Surely that isn't too much to ask for a giant marsupial?

When Dippy wakes from a nap, he is hungry. He tries munching some leaves but after an unfortunate incident with an oversized koala, goes in search of another snack. He spies a rather large and delicious looking flower, but things don't quite go to plan. Poor Dippy. He just can't seem to find the right place to sleep or the right snack to eat. But don't worry, he'll persevere, because that's what wombats, I mean diprotodons, do best.

The text is minimal, but just enough to give us a good sense of Dippy's delightful character. It is also interspersed with short rhymes that add humour and fun to the story. This is matched perfectly by Bruce Whatley's fantastic illustrations, which make us fall completely in love with Dippy. His friendly face and oblivious expression as he unknowingly causes chaos in his wake are simply irresistible!

If you explore the illustrations more closely with kids, you can also spot other extinct creatures such as the thylacine, megafauna and dinosaurs along the way. And, of course, Dippy's little blue bird friend who accompanies him as he bumbles through his world in search of the perfect snack.

Another brilliant book from the winning combination of Jackie French and Bruce Whatley. I can't wait to see more of Dippy's adventures.

Title: Dippy's Big Day Out
Author: Jackie French
Illustrator: Bruce Whatley
Publisher: HarperCollins, $24.99
Publication Date: 29 January 2019
Format: Hard Cover
ISBN:9781460754061
For ages: 3 - 5
Type: Picture Book