Epossumondas

Author:Coleen Salley
Illustrator:   Janet Stevens
Publisher:  Harcourt
Publication Year:  
Location: Personal Collection

Awards: Anne Izzard Storytellers' Choice Award, IRA-CBC Children's Choice,  Irma S and James H Black Honor for Excellence in Children's Literature


Summary: Epossumondas is a possum who visits his auntie each day, and each day she gives him something to take home. Epossumondas ruins each gift by the way he brings it home According to Salley's author note, Epossumondas is a type of story called a noodlehead story which reminds me of the Amelia Bedelia books. This story was obviously meant to be told aloud and is full of Southern dialect. Stevens' clever watercolors capture the feeling perfectly and hint that the main character might be a little smarter than he lets on. I love the endpapers where the pies are complete on the front and stepped on at the back.

Classroom Ideas: For storytelling and fluency, this one can't be beat. It is also a great example of dialect. If you ask whether Epossumondas is just trying to get out of running all those errands, you might have an interesting discussion with kids about character.