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Overview
Epossumondas has a very important question: "Mama, why don't I have hair on my tail?"
And wouldn't you know it, Mama can tell him exactly why possum tails are all pink and naked and funny looking. Her story's a doozy! It goes way back to Epossumondas's great-great-grandpa, Papapossum. When hungry Papapossum and his growly ol' stomach meet up with wily Hare, cranky Bear, and a persimmon tree . . . well, it's one hair-raisin' adventure!
Renowned storyteller Coleen Salley and Caldecott Honor illustrator Janet Stevens team up again, drawing on the Uncle Remus tradition and their own wild imaginations to expose a hilarious—and important!—moment in possum history.
Synopsis
Epossumondas learns his great-great granddaddy's hilarious role in possum history.
Publishers Weekly
The diapered furry hero and his human mother are back to explain Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail by Colleen Salley, illus. by Janet Stevens. Here Mama tells a story about Epossumondas's great-great-grandpa, Papapossum, who gobbled persimmons from Bear's tree-and barely escaped the resulting ursine wrath. Gaudily dressed characters with cheery Southern turns of phrase imbue this sequel with charm equal to the first book. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
The diapered furry hero and his human mother are back to explain Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail by Colleen Salley, illus. by Janet Stevens. Here Mama tells a story about Epossumondas's great-great-grandpa, Papapossum, who gobbled persimmons from Bear's tree-and barely escaped the resulting ursine wrath. Gaudily dressed characters with cheery Southern turns of phrase imbue this sequel with charm equal to the first book. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
This is a great tale about the opposum's tail, cleverly illustrated by Janet Stevens. The author has made the Southern tale of Epaminondas her trademark story. Epossumondas begins to wonder why all the other neighborhood animals have such nice fluffy tails while his is completely bare, so Mama tells him the tale of his tail. Papa possum had quite an adventure when his hungry stomach led him into a persimmon tree with Hare waiting for a share of the fruit and a cranky bear who believed the tree was his property. Hawaiian style shirts and dress shoes for the bear only add to the charm of the characters. Children may recognize the characters from the previous story. It certainly is a case for making the best of what you have as the clever opposum finds many uses for a longer tale. 2004, Harcourt, Ages 4 to 10.—Barbara Youngblood