The Wombats Go Wild for Words

Author Beth Ferry
Illustrated by Lori Nichols
Hardcover Library Binding
$21.99 US
On sale Jun 17, 2025 | 40 Pages | 9780593711064

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A trio of wandering wombats with a passion for words inspire an enthusiastic duckling to transform her town from dull to dazzling in this delectable picture book that shares with children the magic of words.

Evergreen Forest is a very nice forest, with very nice trees and very nice animals. It’s a rather dull place, but no one says a word about it. In fact, no one says very many words at all! And therein lies the problem.

Until the word-loving wandering wombats arrive.

They use words like enthusiastic and splendiferous, ready to turn ordinary into EXTRAordinary! With twinkles in their eyes and words on their minds, the word wombats come to transform Evergreen Forest. 

At first, the animals of Evergreen Forest are…confused. All except for a curious duckling who eagerly devours every noun, adjective, and verb that she hears. Slowly, the inhabitants of Evergreen Forest become mesmerized as they realize that words are not just fun, they are inspiring.

New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry and acclaimed illustrator Lori Nichols captivate readers with this dazzling, magnificent, and triumphant tale about discovering the power of words and the ways they connect and empower us.
© Theresa Artigas
Beth Ferry is the author of many picture books including the New York Times bestseller, Stick and Stone, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. She has celebrated all but four of her birthdays in New Jersey where she lives and writes by the beach. Her favorite birthday dessert is chocolate cake with chocolate icing, but she also enjoys cannoli and cream puffs and churros. Since her birthday is in the winter, she almost always wishes for summer. You can learn more at www.bethferry.com. View titles by Beth Ferry
Lori Nichols is the author and illustrator of the award-winning picture book Maple. Its companion books include Maple & Willow Together, Maple & Willow Apart, and Maple & Willow’s Christmas Tree. She also illustrated Go Sleep in Your Own Bed! by Candace Fleming.

Lori’s debut book, Maple, won the Giverny Award and was selected to represent the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in 2015 and 2016. Both Maple and Maple & Willow Together were named a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year.
 
Visit her on the Web at lorinichols.com. View titles by Lori Nichols

Classroom Activities for The Wombats Go Wild for Words

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

A trio of wandering wombats with a passion for words inspire an enthusiastic duckling to transform her town from dull to dazzling in this delectable picture book that shares with children the magic of words.

Evergreen Forest is a very nice forest, with very nice trees and very nice animals. It’s a rather dull place, but no one says a word about it. In fact, no one says very many words at all! And therein lies the problem.

Until the word-loving wandering wombats arrive.

They use words like enthusiastic and splendiferous, ready to turn ordinary into EXTRAordinary! With twinkles in their eyes and words on their minds, the word wombats come to transform Evergreen Forest. 

At first, the animals of Evergreen Forest are…confused. All except for a curious duckling who eagerly devours every noun, adjective, and verb that she hears. Slowly, the inhabitants of Evergreen Forest become mesmerized as they realize that words are not just fun, they are inspiring.

New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry and acclaimed illustrator Lori Nichols captivate readers with this dazzling, magnificent, and triumphant tale about discovering the power of words and the ways they connect and empower us.

Author

© Theresa Artigas
Beth Ferry is the author of many picture books including the New York Times bestseller, Stick and Stone, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. She has celebrated all but four of her birthdays in New Jersey where she lives and writes by the beach. Her favorite birthday dessert is chocolate cake with chocolate icing, but she also enjoys cannoli and cream puffs and churros. Since her birthday is in the winter, she almost always wishes for summer. You can learn more at www.bethferry.com. View titles by Beth Ferry
Lori Nichols is the author and illustrator of the award-winning picture book Maple. Its companion books include Maple & Willow Together, Maple & Willow Apart, and Maple & Willow’s Christmas Tree. She also illustrated Go Sleep in Your Own Bed! by Candace Fleming.

Lori’s debut book, Maple, won the Giverny Award and was selected to represent the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in 2015 and 2016. Both Maple and Maple & Willow Together were named a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year.
 
Visit her on the Web at lorinichols.com. View titles by Lori Nichols

Guides

Classroom Activities for The Wombats Go Wild for Words

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

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