The Death of a Wombat: Ivan Smith/Clifton Pugh (engl.) 80 S.

When a manmade fire sweeps through the Australian bush, birds and animals panic. Kangaroos flee. Koalas cling to trees. Dingoes turn and race towards the flames. We find ourselves plugging for a humble wombat as he tries desperately to reach the safety of a lake, waddling as fast as he can manage on "short, stubbed legs" as the racing fire bears down.

The Death of a Wombat is a simple, imaginative and unusual little story. It's also strangely touching. As the author says, "Everything likes a waddler."

Not just a children's book, but a parable of how we might respond to man-made environmental threats: turn and face them, laconically ignore them, or carry on and hope for the best.