The Wonky Donkey

Equine Wonders

I know you are busy.

I know Be A Dork Day and Sidewalk Egg Frying Day are a hot minute away. (Look them up. They're official fun days listed for July.)

I know you may, or may not have had your first cup of coffee this morning.

BUT I COULDN’T WAIT ANOTHER SINGLE SECOND to share with you my learned criticism of a delightful and hysterical read-aloud story.

The Wonky Donkey.

For sure, it doesn't rank among the world's literary masterpieces like Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov or Mann's The Magic Mountain. But let me tell you why I love this runaway hit.

First, its main protagonist, a donkey, is endearingly complex.

In what other written classic can you encounter such an intricate development of character? In the expository section, he is introduced as a wonky donkey with only three legs.

Two paragraphs (or stanzas) later, in rising action, he has evolved into a winky wonkey donkey with one eye.

Spoiler alert: by the book's climactic denouement, he has been transformed into a spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.

Second positive point in this critique: the piece expertly employs rhyming and repetition. Each main division recurrently starts with:

I was walking down the road

and I saw a donkey, Hee haw!

Its rhythmic use of linguistic expression boosts your reading abilities and language development which is a sweet deal to get from a mere tall and slim donkey who likes to listen to country music.

Also, its tone provides you with a cheerful pick-me-up. I challenge you to say this sentence without grinning:

He only had three legs, one eye, he liked to listen to country music,

Book Reading By Second Daughter to
Second Granddaughter's First Grade Class

he was quite tall and slim... and he smelt really, really bad.

When I first read the piece, I’ll admit I couldn’t stop laughing.

So there. I love this book for its imagery, theme, and style. It's so deserving of being an International #1 Bestseller and Viral Sensation.

The perfect go-to read to shake off a stressful day, giggle at, and fall asleep with. I promise, it'll make you smile.

Hee haw!

P.S. A hilarious sequel, The Dinky Donkey, the tailed tale of the Wonky Donkey’s daughter, came out in 2019.