Module 2: Epossumondas

Book Summary: "Epossumondas was his mama's and his auntie's sweet little patootie (Salley, 2002, p. 3). He is a baby possum that takes everything literally. When he is handed off a piece of cake from his auntie, he scrunches it up in his hands to take it to his mother. Once he is home, all he has left are little bits of crumbs in his fingers.  His mother explains the right way to carry a cake is to put it on his head. The next time he goes to visit his auntie, she gives him a pound of butter. He then places the butter on the top of his head because that is where his mother had instructed him to carry cake.  The story continues with more hilarious misinterpretations.  

APA Reference of Book: 
Salley, C. (2002). Epossumondas. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, Inc.

Impressions: My initial impression was that this book was similar to Amelia Bedelia in the literal interpretations in the requests of Epossumondas' mother. The repetition in this story appears related to its lineage as a folktale. When I finished the story, I considered how much I would enjoy sharing this book with a group of people.  The women in the story seemed oddly familiar and I noticed in the back portion of the book jacket in the illustrator biography that the mother and auntie are based on drawings Janet Stevens had done for the story To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda.  In fact, Stevens had used Salley as a model for the woman in that story as indicated by the illustrator acknowledgment in that book (Miranda, 1997). Somehow knowing that the storyteller herself is the model for the mother and auntie make the expressions (especially in exasperation) seem much more realistic. 

Professional Review:
"Foolish Jack is cast here as a pampered, over-mothered Louisiana possum in a refreshingly retold version by New Orleans storyteller Salley (Who's That Trippin' over My Bridge?). This familiar story takes on new silliness as the improbable possum-child interacts with his human mother...Salley narrates the series of mishaps with a storyteller's impeccable timing and a pleasing Southern patois that should inspire many spirited read-alouds" (Publisher's Weekly, 2002).

Publisher's Weekly (2002, June 17). [Review of the book Epossumondas, by C. Salley] 
            Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-15-216748-6

Library Uses: Since this story is based on a classic tall tale, I think it would be a great book to share with younger school age children. In fact, I plan to share it with a K-6th grade group in a few weeks so we can discuss storytelling, tall tales, and funny stories. I think this one will be clever enough to hold the attention of the various age groups.

Additional Reference:
Miranda, A. (1997). To market, to market. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.