The Wonkey Donkey

Craig Smith (words & music)

Katz Cowley (illus)

Scholastic Press, NZ: 2009

ISBN: 9781869439262

Genres: picture book, poetry

The Wonky Donkey won the APRA Children's Song of the Year 2008 and this delightfully illustrated picture book version includes a CD recorded by Craig Smith.

Katz Cowley's slightly caricatured images show readers a donkey with a huge personality and underline the sense of the ridiculous that makes Smith's song so enjoyable. This is, after all, no ordinary donkey.

‘He only had three legs, one eye, he liked to listen to country music, he was quite tall and slim, he smelt really, really bad, that morning he'd got up early and hadn't had any coffee... and he was always getting up to mischief. He was a hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.'

Children will love the challenge of remembering all the characteristics of this unusual quadraped (with three legs) as well as the joy of chanting the rhythmic chorus. Made to be shared, with small groups or large, this is a book that cries out for readers to try their hand and creating their own ‘odd characters' in a similar style to Smith's. A hilarious read for adults and children alike.