The Peculiar Possum is one of a series. I do not know which number but know that there are several in the older easy reader level (I would say ages high first up to medium second grade), as well as a few novels for (according to Amazon aged 7 to 12. But not having read them, I am unsure if this is correct. I find their ages tend to be a bit on the young side, to be honest).
The premise of this one is a pangolin, a sugar-glider and a fox are friends. There are the typical personalities: the shy one, the loud-mouth and the serious one. They start smelling and hearing some odd noise, notice their fruit is gone and when they learn what it is, there is some fur that gets ruffled. The lesson is that it is okay to be “peculiar” and in fact, to be proud of ones “peculiar” nature. However, as Dawn, the fox, points out to Bismark, the sugar-glider, their new friend, the possum, is not so peculiar, due to the similarities she shares with them.
It is a feel good easier reader about being you. There are no surprises, after all you do not see a possum as the title hints at, therefore odds are pretty good the smells and sounds are a possum. There is little information about the animals (what is a pangolin… and how do you pronounce pangolin?) There are some vocabulary words at the end, but still I would have liked to see more facts.
Over all this is a nice book. There is nothing wrong with it. I am just technically not the audience for it. It would be a good book for the classroom or for the child that likes animals. It will help spark conversations about being different, being yourself and what is a pangolin?
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