The first thing that comes to mind, when you think of the Wombles, is probably the theme tune to the popular BBC TV show (1973-5) or perhaps the song ‘Remember You’re A Womble’, which reached no.3 in the singles chart. However, did you know of the original series of books by Elisabeth Beresford? When the six-book collection turned up on the search results, as I was looking for something else on the library e-book catalogue, I decided to give it a go. I enjoyed the books very much. They’re quite delightful, having that classic, British narrative voice which instantly makes you feel comfortable (e.g. the Paddington stories). Not only are they well-told and funny, they have important messages about the environment and may be some of the earliest children’s stories to engage seriously with the topic. Sadly, over fifty years later, humans are still throwing a lot of stuff away, pollution is still a huge problem, and there’s no solution to single-use plastics yet. I’m sure that today’s Wombles are very disappointed in us!

The books in the series are: The Wombles (1968), The Wandering Wombles (1970), The Wombles at Work (1973), The Invisible Womble (1973), The Wombles to the Rescue (1974) and The Wombles Go Round the World (1976).

The Wombles are furry, resourceful creatures which resemble teddies crossed with hobbits. Although they can talk to humans, they prefer to keep a low profile and spend most of their time collecting or reusing the things that humans throw away. They also put much effort into inventions, cookery, and green ways of living. In the original illustrations, they look like bears, but the pictures later changed to match the TV characters. I watched a couple of the TV episodes to compare with the books, and although the concepts and characters are generally the same, the TV episodes are so short (5 minutes, actually 4 minutes if you subtract the theme tune!) that there is barely any plot. I’d say that the TV show is for a younger audience than the books, which (with the exception of The Invisible Womble, which is half the length of the others) are quite substantial with at least 12 chapters.

There are Womble communities all over the world, but the books focus on those living in a burrow on Wimbledon Common (they do move to Hyde Park at one point – where Bungo becomes a hippy after attending a music festival! – but later return to Wimbledon). We meet other Wombles, in Scotland, America, Japan, Australia and Tibet. I liked that the books expand on the communities, because it becomes apparent that Wombles have a significant role in the world. ‘Wombles’ themselves have a wider meaning too. Did you know, for example, that the Loch Ness Monster is a Water Womble?

The characterisation is what makes Beresford’s books special, as every Womble has a distinct personality and skillset. Familiar characters include Bungo, Orinoco, Great Uncle Bulgaria, Tomsk, Wellington, Madame Cholet, Miss Adelaide, Tobermory, Alderney and Shansi. The books haven’t really dated and I hope that young readers today will enjoy the Wombles’ adventures.

Bloomsbury collected edition published in 2010, with illustrations by Nick Price.