Bottersnikes and Gumbles
|
(in publication order)
Bottersnikes and Gumbles Gumbles on Guard Gumbles in Summer Gumbles in Trouble |
|
| Author | SA Wakefield |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Desmond Digny |
| Country | Australia |
| Genre | Children's Literature |
| No. of books | 4 |
Bottersnikes and Gumbles are fictitious creatures in a series of children's books by Australian writer S. A. Wakefield and illustrator Desmond Digby. Four books were published between 1967 and 1989. The series is considered a classic of Australian children's literature[1] and has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. Since 2012 an animated television series has been under development.[2]
Set in the landscape of the Australian bush the stories recount a series of conflicts between the lazy, destructive Bottersnikes and good-natured, hardworking Gumbles. Inspiration for the series came from the emerging environmental movement. The two species were intended to represent opposing attitudes towards the environment; those who destroy the bush, and those who clean it up.[3] These themes however are diffused by the series' humour, absurdity, playful language and its sense of the ridiculous.[4]
Bottersnikes have green wrinkly skin, cheese-grater noses and long, pointed ears that go red when they are angry, which is most of the time. They are perhaps the laziest creatures in the world. They eat mattress stuffing (preferably barbecued) and pictures of food out of magazines, and for sweets they like rusty nails and bottle tops. The Bottersnikes’ biggest fear is water, because they shrink when they get wet and have to be hung out to dry.
Gumbles, on the other hand, are the most friendly and cheerful creatures in the bush and can be squashed into any shape without being hurt, although when flattened out completely they cannot regain their own shapes without help. They are hopeless when they get the giggles.
Wakefield wrote four books about the Bottersnikes and Gumbles:
- Bottersnikes and Gumbles (1967)
- Gumbles on Guard (1975)
- Gumbles in Summer (1979)
- Gumbles in Trouble (1989)
In 1996 the four books were reissued in an omnibus volume under the title The Complete Tales of Bottersnikes and Gumbles.
Themes
While the books consist of light-hearted children's stories, the author has worked in some themes to reflect his view of adult concepts such as journalism and politics.
- In Gumbles in Trouble, Chank the Bottersnike decides to run a newspaper for his fellows on an old typewriter. The author uses this device to make a number of points about biased reporting and the workings of the media in general.
- In Gumbles in Summer, the King of the Bottersnikes 'dies' of suspected food poisoning. The elite position of Kingship is up for grabs, and there are several strong and unconventional runners in the election race. The whole book is a play on politics, especially far-fetched promises, election campaigning, and votes.
Characters
The King – The King of the Bottersnikes, by far the fattest, meanest and almost the laziest.
Chank – By far the smartest Bottersnike (he thinks) and believes he should be King.
Gubbo – Chank's dull-witted but loyal sidekick.
The Weathersnike – The oldest and most learned Bottersnike. He has been forecasting weather since Halley's Comet and is often blamed for the bad weather he predicts.
Glob - The most cunning Bottersnike. He's the one who often thinks up ideas, especially catching Gumbles.
Snorg – The laziest Bottersnike. Proudly the only one who can go to sleep hanging upside down.
Smiggles – The only ‘snike whose dreams become solid. Quite handy when you need something now, but has the unfortunate catch of the previous dream disappearing to make room for the next one whenever Smiggles falls asleep. Quite precarious when you are a Bottersnike on a dreamed bridge and Smiggles is starting to doze.
Tinkingumble – A Gumble with very good ideas. Each time he gets an idea, a clear, bright 'tink' sound comes from his head.
Happigumble – The most worriesome and cautious Gumble, but likes fun as much as the rest.
Tootngumble – Toots unconsciously when danger is anywhere near.
Willigumble – The youngest, rashest and most danger-prone Gumble. He is always late for everything and has a tendency to be rather tardy, which ends up coming in useful on at least one occasion.
Fixngumble – The best at working with his hands, whether it be alarm clocks, ladders or tape recorders.
Burpngumble - Only mentioned once or twice, is Burpngumble, who frees them from the dry water tank by hiccuping
References
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