Synopsis
When Mrs. Byrd tells Gilbert's class that they're going to be doing plays about famous people, Gilbert's heart sinks. Plays make him nervous what if he forgets his lines? So when he lands the role of George Washington in a play about the cherry tree, he's determined to do it without any mistakes. But when his most important prop goes missing right before the show, Gilbert loses his cool and looks to blame anyone but himself.
The seventh story about this most beloved opossum is a wise and funny tale of truth and lies and butterflies! that's a perfect tie-in for President's Day, Independence Day, and school units on biography.
Publishers Weekly
DeGroat (Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink) brings back Gilbert, the affable opossum, as he prepares to play George Washington in a class skit reenacting the young Washington's admission that he cut down the cherry tree. When it is time to go home, Gilbert sneaks his three-cornered hat into his book bag so that he can practice his lines that evening. In a comical dinner-table scene, the aspiring actor stays in character a bit too well, insisting that he "cannot tell a lie" and hurting feelings by announcing that he does not like the soup his mother has made and that his younger sister is "a big copycat." But an interesting turn of events causes life to imitate art, as Gilbert finds himself reenacting George Washington's words in a situation that arises at school the next day. As always, deGroat's amusingly detailed watercolor art portrays the hero as he runs through an array of emotions, and Gilbert's animal classmates make an endearing crew. The dynamics between family members and friends are spot-on. This sprightly story delivers a clear moral in a gentle voice. Ages 5-8. (Feb.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.