The Wonky Donkey By Smith, Craig (0545261244) (9780545261241)
The Wonky Donkey is a children's book, and song written by New Zealander Craig Smith and illustrated by Katz Cowley.[1] The book is based upon a song that Smith wrote in 2005 after hearing the joke "What do you call a donkey with three legs? - A wonky donkey".[2] The song was later turned into the 2010 book.[3] In 2018, the book was featured in a viral video of a grandmother laughing hysterically as she attempted to read it to her grandchild, leading to a surge in purchases of the book worldwide.[4]
Awards
- Children's Choice Award by the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards[5]
- The song was the APRA New Zealand Children's Song of the Year Award in 2008.[6]
Controversy
In 2010 a school teacher alleged that Smith had heavily based the book on several internet jokes and did not reference this in the work in question.[7] Smith and his publisher responded by stating that the song predated the specific versions that the educator had seen on the internet and that it was possible that these versions had emerged because of his success with the song and resulting book.[8]
