The Stinky Wonky Donkey product reviews

My children absolutely love to read, or to be read to, especially at bedtime. For many, many years now a solid favourite has been the Wonky Donkey series by Craig Smith, we have each book that has been released and it is a frequent before bedtime. When I saw that there was a new addition to the series, I knew instantly that my children would want to read it! This new one is called The Stinky Wonky Donkey and before we started reading it the kids started guessing why it would be stinky, one thought maybe they would encounter a large pile of poop on a country road, we decided to read the story by itself first, before listening to the accompanying song that you can stream or download.

The cover of the book shows Wonky and Dinky (the young donkey) and it looks like they are laughing together, the looks on their faces is gorgeous, and the illustrator has made their eyes come alive, and on the rear cover there is another picture of Dinky looking so innocent and sweet.
Throughout the story the incredibly talented illustrator Katz Cowley has brought the cheekiness of Wonky alive, and I absolutely love the colours that have been used, especially on wee Dinky!

This story like the others in the series is written in rhyme (my kids love this kind of story best) and it is easy to start to sing the story instead of reading it. The storyline is based around Dinky and her love for all animals, and when Wonky asks which is her favourite she simply cannot choose one, and rightly so! The author has included many descriptive words to help with being able to Invision the story. As I read the boys were hanging off every word that I said, and as I read on I got to Dinky's song, and my boys were in hysterics, it wasn't till I slowed down and re-read it that I realized what all the commotion was about...the author has done a play on words and used the phrase "hoof-hearted" as a way to describe Dinky, however it comes across as "Who farted." Wonky then asks Dinky to go and ask some relatives if they are also hoof-hearted, and she is met with some laughs.

The boys both agreed their favourite part of the story was at the end when Dinky asked Wonky if he was hoof-hearted and his response was to tell her to pull his leg (his version of the pull my finger game) and Dinky was met with Wonky passing some wind, the boys couldn't contain themselves and were in fact on the floor laughing. This book has quickly earned the title of favourite bedtime story, especially if we accompany it with the song! Usually, I would donate the books we get from KIWIreviews to our small local rural school, but I think that they may be out of luck for a while with this one!

The Wonky Donkey is a perennial favourite for many Kiwi kids. Not only is he funny, but he also shows that having a disability does not define you. This is reaffirming for every child who is handicapped in some way, whether it be because of an artificial limb like Wonky Donkey's, glasses to enable them to see properly, asthma, or even an invisible health issue like diabetes or a heart murmur. Wonky Donkey does everything any other donkey does, and does it with panache. He has a daughter, Dinky Donkey, whose story is told in The Stinky Wonky Donkey. And there is a reason for this title. Donkeys smell!

So why do they smell? There is an obvious reason. They pass a lot of wind! There is even a picture of Wonky farting after Dinky pulls his artificial leg. Author Craig Smith has played with words in the course of the story and ended up with a phrase with a double meaning. Children may not get this (depending on their age) but older family members will. If you say "Hoof hearted!" out loud it sounds like "Who farted?"

Miss Four really loved this book. She has read several others in the series but this one was new to her. She uses her father's phone to play the song and turns the pages simultaneously "like teachers do". When she is in role as teacher, her little brother Mr One becomes her class. She has her own pony so decided she was also HOOF hearted because she loves her pet. This meant she could relate to the story through this connection.

Katz Cowley's illustrations are a delight. Wonky Donkey rolling on the floor laughing is one of the funniest pictures I have seen; the expression on Dinky's face when she tried to work out why he is laughing is priceless. When she then asks him if he too is hoof-hearted, he asks her to pull his hoof - although, of course, she is really pulling the artificial leg. Again, Craig Smith is playing with words as the expression "pulling your leg" means teasing someone or playing a joke on them. That is exactly what Wonky Donkey is doing to his daughter.

The other picture that is really sweet is the cover design, showing father and daughter touching hooves and smiling at each other. Miss Four showed all the pictures to her little brother. They were a bit too old for him, but he liked the colours and looked at several pages with his sister before losing interest and returning to his own toys. One day he will be big enough to read the book for himself.