WHY EPOSSUMONDAS HAS NO HAIR ON HIS TAIL

Thinking about his long, skinny, and very pink tail, Epossumondas questions why, of all the animal tails he has seen, his is the funniest. Mama Possum spins a story that tells of Papapossum’s hungry stomach, a sly rabbit, a tree full of sweet persimmons, and one cranky grizzly bear. Focused on satisfying the urgings of his empty stomach, Papapossum forgets his common sense and eats too many of Bear’s persimmons, even after Bear warns him repeatedly of the consequences. When Bear finally does get Papapossum out of the tree, all he can grab is the possum’s tail, forever changing the look of every possum from then on. Stevens’s bright and whimsical illustrations, full of detail, feature a necktie-wearing bear (bee-pattern, of course), a rabbit in a carrot-festooned shirt, and the return of Epossumondas in his diaper, sitting on Salley’s lap as she tells this tale about tails. Those who’ve heard Salley tell a story can hear her voice in this one, full to bursting with child appeal. Grrrrrrreat. (Picture book. 3-7)