‘Wonky Donkey’s Big Surprise’ by Craig Smith & Katz Cowley

Wonky Donkey Surprise

Wonky Donkey Surprise

The hee-haw hilarious Wonky Donkey family continues to grow, and in this adventure Wonky has a wonderful surprise for Dinky Donkey.

Wonky Donkey wakes up Dinky Donkey to let her know a surprise is coming her way. “Is it warm? Is it washable? Is it wise? Is it wrinkly?” … With laugh-out-loud, alliterative text, adorable illustrations and a song to stream or download, this fourth book in the bestselling series celebrates the strength of family and friendship with a wonderful, wrinkly, wiggly, witty, whiffy SURPRISE!

Originally published in 2009, The Wonky Donkey is a runaway bestseller that has been a household name in New Zealand and Australia for more than a decade. Thanks to a 2018 video of Scottish grandmother Janice Clark reading The Wonky Donkey to her grandson, the catchy, rhyming story became a viral sensation, with more than 200 million views globally, making it an instant #1 international bestseller.

With more than 8 million copies in print worldwide, fans of The Wonky Donkey can’t seem to get enough of the lively, laugh-out-loud and entirely lovable Wonky Donkey family. Both The Dinky Donkey and The Grinny Granny Donkey continue to deliver a delightful dose of reading fun and are donkey-dominating the bestseller charts. Now there is a hee-haw holler for more, and Wonky is set to deliver a fourth rollicking read.

Author Craig Smith says, “I enjoyed the challenge and slightly new direction in writing Wonky Donkey’s Big Surprise, while still mixing the tongue-twisting fun and silliness that we’ve come to expect from my goofy boofhead.”

And from illustrator Katz Cowley, “I am delighted to be creating this next adventure in the series of Wonky Donkey’s family, as it continues to grow. This new story sees an exciting turn, full of the unexpected, to bring lots of joy, warmth and gigglicious laughter . . . and a good sprinkling of anticipation for the whole family!”

Scholastic NZ Publisher Lynette Evans adds, “This playful, warm-hearted new Wonky story starring the world’s favourite, funny and most outrageous donkey family definitely contains a wonderful surprise, and who doesn’t need that right now!”

About the Author

Singer/songwriter Craig Smith is an award-winning musician and #1 bestselling author, originally from Christchurch, who performs for audiences around the world. He lives in Queenstown, NZ. The Wonky Donkey’s Big Surprise is the eighth book Craig has published with Scholastic. His other Scholastic titles include the world #1 viral bestseller The Wonky Donkey; Willbee the Bumblebee; My Daddy Ate an Apple; Square Eyes; The Dinky Donkey and The Grinny Granny Donkey.

About the Illustrator

British-born Katz Cowley has a degree in illustration from the University of Northumbria. She has now illustrated a number of books for Scholastic, including: The Wonky Donkey, Seesaw Po, The Fidgety Itch, All I Want for Christmas, The Bee’s Sneeze and Willbee the Bumblebee, as well as The Dinky Donkey and The Grinny Granny Donkey. A former Christchurch resident, she now lives in the UK.