This is an Australian Christmas classic written by legendary author Mem Fox and illustrated by Kerry Argent. Wombat Divine tells the story of a wombat who loves everything about Christmas, especially the nativity play. Poor wombat wants to be in the play so badly, but it’s a little tricky to find a part for a wombat! This lovely twist on the traditional Christmas story is probably best to read with children over three years old.
See if you can name all of the Australian animals and play a game of ‘Guess the Animal’ by acting as if you ARE that animal (i.e. talking and moving like it).
Make up your own play and find roles that suit the people in your family. Note the characteristics of each family member and find an animal that has similar characteristics (for example, someone who has a nice laugh could be a kookaburra, or someone who is tall could be an emu). Talk about similarities and differences as you choose your characters and then plan your play e.g. who are the characters, what is the problem they need to solve, what will the ending be and what is the title of the play?