The Wombles

The Womblesis the first ever Wombles book and introduces the stern but kindly Great Uncle Bulgaria; Orinoco, who is particularly fond of his food and a subsequent forty winks; general handyman extraordinaire Tobermory, who can turn almost anything that the Wombles retrieve from Wimbledon Common into something useful; Madame Cholet, who cooks the most delicious and natural foods to keep the Wombles happy and contented; and last but not least, Bungo, one of the youngest and cheekiest Wombles of all, who has much to learn and is due to venture out on to the common on his own for the very first time . . .

Elisabeth Beresford first came up with the idea for the Wombles characters one day when walking on Wimbledon Common with her two children. The Wombles have since so charmed the nation that they were chosen as the mascots for the Tidy Britain campaign. Elisabeth Beresford was awarded an MBE for her services to children's literature in 1998.