The Wonky Donkey

I always have been a voracious reader. I remember as a child my mother taking me to the library in Upper Marlboro, MD, several times a week. The library had a strict, three-book checkout limit, and I would devour those three books within a couple of days; off to the library we would go! I never remember my mother complaining about having to drive me into town to exchange my treasures, but, eventually, the librarian acquiesced. I remember the first time she told me I could check out as many books as I wanted. I left the library that day with an ARMFUL of books and a HUGE grin on my face. I am pretty sure my mother was as delighted as I was. I wonder if my mother had a hand in that policy change, or if the librarian took pity on my mother’s having to make so many trips.

One of my fondest Christmas memories is receiving a fairly large, heavy box from my Aunt Betty. I probably was 7 or 8 years old. I offhandedly asked, “What’s in here…bricks?” She chortled, “Yes.” Imagine my surprise when I opened the box to find three Nancy Drew mysteries and a set of bookends Aunt Betty had made from...BRICKS! She had covered them with fabric to look like little girls with long braids. Best. Present. Ever!

Those events happened almost 60 years ago and I remember then vividly.

Nancy Drew mysteries were my favorite. I amassed quite the collection. I also read the Hardy Boys and the Bobbsey Twins, but I WAS Nancy Drew. After all, the author, Carolyne Keene, and I ALMOST shared a name. I studied each clue as if my life depended upon solving the mystery, and I tried my darndest to do so before Nancy did. Most often, I didn’t, but I did become pretty savvy. To this day, mysteries, especially murder mysteries, remain my favorite genre. One day, I plan to write one.

I never am without a book. Long lines never bother me…I just take out my book and read as I inch forward. Nowadays, I read digital books while waiting. Digital books have their place (long lines), but nothing EVER will replace the pleasure of holding a REAL book and playing with the pages as I read.

I passed along my love of reading to my three children. I read to them nightly and often during the day when they were little. Books were (are) important in our house and were (are) stashed in every corner. I now am the proud grandmother of five precocious little ones, and I read to them as often as I can. I buy books for them, and I write books for them.   

The most recent book I gave them is the Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith, a New Zealander. It's a cute little paperback about a donkey who has unique characteristics and a few peculiarities. Smith’s inspiration for the book was a song he had written in 2005 after hearing a joke about a wonky donkey. The joke led to the song that led to the book a few years later. The song and the book were hits in Smith’s backyard, but they remained obscure elsewhere. That changed August 2018 when a Scottish Granny living in Australia became a hit sensation.

Fiona Clark happened upon a copy of the Wonky Donkey in a used book store and bought it for mere pennies. She then caught on videotape her mother, Janice Clark, laughing uncontrollably as she read the book to Fiona’s then 4-month-old son, Archer. The video went viral and publishers on several continents went into high gear to meet the demand. I, along with 1 million others, bought the book. Actually, I bought four copies – one copy for each of my children to read to my beloved grandchildren and one copy for me to read to them at my house. Although none of us find the book as hysterical as the Scottish Granny, we enjoy the rhymes and hearing the little ones say, “Hee Haw!”

Have you read the story? Have you heard the song? Have you watched the Scottish Granny read to Archer?

Why not put a little hilarity under this year’s Christmas tree? 

I hope you and your little ones enjoy reading as much as we do!