Wombat Waiting by Katherine Applegate: Comprehension Book Packet with Answer Keys, Assessments, Nonfiction Article & 2 Reader's Theatre Scripts
Wombat is a small, sturdy stray dog with short legs and round ears.
She is NOT a wombat! When hot Santa Ana winds push a wildfire across the hills of Southern California, a mysterious voice tells her “That way,” straight toward the fire, to find her person: a boy named Henry who is not a dog person at all. Katherine Applegate’s warm, hopeful novel in verse (ten parts plus a short coda) is about patience, courage, kindness, community, and facing your fears.
Sit back and enjoy this high-interest read with your students as you use my No Prep Wombat Waiting Comprehension Book Packet, which includes part-by-part comprehension questions, two assessments, a bonus nonfiction article, puzzles and activities, AND two Reader’s Theatre scripts retelling key scenes from the book.
This packet was built for your younger readers, grades 2-4. Every question set has a word bank, and the Suggestions page shows you how to support readers who need a little more help (and how to stretch the ones who don’t!). The packet is paced for about 2 weeks, so your kiddos stay excited about the book.
Leave the hard work to me! This one is sure to become a favorite of yours and your students.
My Wombat Waiting Comprehension Book Packet works well with whole class instruction, small groups, literature circles, independent work, or homeschool students!
Content note: A large wildfire burns homes and neighborhoods, and families evacuate to a crowded shelter. Henry’s family loses their house, and some characters cry and grieve. Wombat lost her mother and siblings to traffic before the story begins, and a young owl is hurt in the fire. Henry was bitten by a stray dog when he was three, a fight breaks out at the shelter and police calm it, and a man smokes a cigarette near Wombat. Common Sense Media rates the book for age 8 and up. Please preview.
Created by Kim Baust, “The Literature Lady,” founder of YSA Homeroom by The Young Scholar Academy (online).
Questions about this resource
Wondering if this is the right fit before you buy? See what other shoppers asked, or ask Kimberly your own. You don’t need to have bought anything.
Sign in to ask a question
Sign in so Kimberly’s answer can reach you. You don’t need to have bought anything from YSA with The Literature Lady.
No reviews yet — be the first to leave one.
Hi, I’m Kim! I’m an educator with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Elementary Education and more than 30 years of classroom experience.
I started The Literature Lady because I wanted to make reading come alive for students—and make lesson planning a lot easier for teachers. I create resources that were way too time-consuming to create while teaching full-time, so that now you don’t have to! My passion is creating engaging, low-prep resources, such as novel studies, Word Noodle vocabulary games, and reader’s theatre scripts, that help kids fall in love with books while building real skills.
When I’m not writing or designing new lessons, you’ll find me teaching right here on the TeacherStore.io community platform! The Young Scholar Academy is an online small group learning community that teaches homeschool students in grades 1-8. We teach core classes, electives, one-on-one tutoring, and so much more! As Tiffany would say, "Come for the classes, stay for the community!"
I am also a fun of reading, baking, traveling, or hanging out with my husband, our two college-aged sons, and our dogs, Maisie and Sophie.












