(++++) BIG-BOTTOMED BLISS

The Little Book of Wombat Wisdom. HarperCollins. $15.99.

     Well, why not wombats? There are plenty of small-size, square, hardcover gift books already available about the many forms of wisdom, including distinctly animal-focused ones purporting to provide wisdom imparted by creatures ranging from cats and dogs to donkeys and axolotls. So why not another one, this focused on the only known animal whose poop is cube-shaped – an Australian marsupial so well-upholstered in its nether regions that when a predator attacks, the wombat dives into its burrow and leaves its rear (which is mostly cartilage) sticking out to protect against the predator? This is so far superior to humans’ pitiful attempts to turn their backs on attackers and irritants that wombats simply must have a level of wisdom to which human beings can only aspire.

     Unfortunately, wombats do not speak human, and that means the actual notions communicated through this little book – all accompanied by suitable wombat photos, mostly from Shutterstock.com – are not exceptionally wise or surprising. But one cannot have everything in a gift book, and what one has here certainly fulfills the purpose of the book, which is to be given as a present to someone-or-other who can presumably use a bit of building-up in the wisdom department.

     This fortunate individual will here read that “it’s okay not to know where you’re going. Have faith in yourself and the way will be revealed to you.” The photo with that observation shows a wombat in long grass, perhaps having self-faith while uncertain of direction. Another page notes that “your troubles will eventually pass,” and here the photo shows a rather pained-looking (by human standards) wombat, perhaps troubled or perhaps just passing one of those cube-shaped poop pieces. Elsewhere is the comment, “Sometimes all you want is a good carrot. Yes, this is maybe a metaphor.” The carrot-eating wombat shown here, though, is taking the whole matter literally, not metaphorically.

     The fun of The Little Book of Wombat Wisdom, as of many similar books, lies in the contrast (or complementarity) of the words and photographs. In this case, the photos clearly came first, and words were matched to them, since wombats have a limited array of expressive poses and can scarcely be expected to behave in ways appropriate to human thoughts. Clearly a pre-existing photo of a wombat, seen from behind (and having a fair amount of behind), was used to create the comment, “Just saying, big bottoms rule.” And an unusually cute picture of a wombat on its back, being held by human hands, must have inspired the remark, “We all need and are deserving of love.” And then there is the photo of the baby wombat looking as if it is whispering into the ear of its mother, which goes with this thought: “A word to the wise: don’t get in your mum’s hair when she’s trying to do something important. It never ends well.” Actually, what wombat mothers are probably trying to do that is important is digging or enlarging a burrow – and since they have an unusual backward-facing pouch, they can dig quite intensely without getting dirt on their little ones.

     It should be clear by this point that the facts about wombats are a lot more interesting than the supposed wisdom imparted by wombats, but really created by humans seeking to take advantage of wombatdom for human gift-giving purposes. Indeed, a few brief factual remarks on wombats, at the back of this book, may be of greater interest to recipients of the tome than the supposed wisdom contained within it. One particular piece of information ties directly into the book’s concept: “a group of wombats is called a ‘wisdom’ of wombats.” How about that? Now, it happens that a wombat group is also called a colony or, umm, a mob. But clearly there is less likelihood of creating a gift book called The Wombat Mob than one called The Little Book of Wombat Wisdom. And so we have this modest, modestly amusing volume, packed with pictures that should continue to provide enjoyment and “awwww” moments long after the mostly straightforward words have been read, considered, absorbed and forgotten.