Rabbit & Possum

After a frightened Possum races up a tree and gets trapped, Rabbit employs creative problem solving to get her friend back down. Rabbit proposes a variety of options, “but all her ideas made him a little uneasy.” In a funny sequence, debut author-illustrator uses a series of speech balloons to showcase Rabbit’s dubious plans: a beaver gnawing through the tree trunk, a trio of overtaxed birds flying Possum to safety, or a large pile of leaves that Possum might or might not land in. Eventually, Rabbit enlists the help of a tall moose—the very “monster” that scared Possum up the tree in the first place. Readers know from the start that Moose is no monster, and Possum’s reactions to his fellow forest dweller seem a bit odd—has he never seen a moose before? Wulfekotte’s cartoons are charming, featuring scruffy pencil detailing and watercolorlike washes of digital color, though after all of the buildup, it’s strange that Possum’s actual descent from the tree happens off-screen. Ages 4–8. [em]Agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary. (Feb.) [/em]