DIARY OF A BABY WOMBAT

If this duo's minimalist Diary of a Wombat (2003) was a textbook example of words and art together creating narrative, then this sequel is equally an exemplar of what can go wrong when you try to apply a formula to success. In look and feel, this offspring's parentage is obvious: Across broad, white double-page spreads are placed vignettes of an adorable wombat baby and his mum, above which range its diary entries. "Monday / Early morning: Slept. / Slept. / Late morning: Slept. / Woke up." Although this joey spends plenty of time sleeping, it does have youthful energy, which it expends in playful havoc both by itself and with the toddler who lives in the "GIANT hole" adjacent to the too-small burrow it shares with its mother. As before, Whatley's acrylics explore the subtext beneath the diary entries, producing many chuckle-worthy moments. Still, the air of freshness that blew through the first book is absent here; better to buy a new copy of the first than to invest in this rerun. (Picture book. 5-7)