Epossumondas Plays Possum

In the late Salley's last picture book, the fourth to feature Epossumondas and his Mama, Mama warns the possum to steer clear of the swamp because the dreaded “loup-garou snatches [possums] right up with its big ugly claws!” But Epossumondas follows a butterfly into the eerie swamplands, where a series of threatening animals pass by Epossumondas, who plays dead. Rich with Southern flavor—when Epossumondas returns from the swamp, Mama exclaims, “You don't have the sense you were born with! You gotta run away from those fearsome critters, too!”—it's an immersive piece of storytelling. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)