Wonky Donkey (2010)

The Wonky Donkey is a 2009 children's book by New Zealander Craig Smith. It is illustrated by British-born Katz Cowley, who has a degree in Illustration from the University of Northumbria.

The book is based on a song that Smith wrote in 2005 after hearing the joke: "What do you call a donkey with three legs? – A wonky donkey". In 2018, the book was featured in a viral video of a Scottish grandmother laughing hysterically as she attempted to read it to her infant grandson, leading to a surge in purchases of the book worldwide.

Awards

Children's Choice Award by the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards

The song was the APRA New Zealand Children's Song of the Year Award in 2008.

Controversy

In 2010 a schoolteacher alleged that Smith had heavily based the book on several internet jokes and had not referenced this in his work. 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.