A homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal and trying not to be noticed, is given hope when he sees a trapped bird find its freedom.

Epossumondas Plays Possum is a story about a possum, Epossumondas, and his Mama. Mama tells Epossumondas not to go into the woods because he could be eaten by a loup-garou. Epossumondas was not a rule breaking, but he often got distracted. He started following the prettiest butterfly he had ever seen into the woods. He lost track of the butterfly and realized he had wandered far into the woods. He heard and sounds and played possum. Possums can play dead when predators are around so they won't be eaten. Epossumondas avoided being eaten in the words three times by playing possum, and the last time he was picked up by a hawk and started to wiggle so he was dropped. Mama found Epossumondas in the woods and brought him back home to safety. This is a story about using your attributes to avoid harm. Epossumondas knew he had the chance of being eaten in the woods and use his skills to save himself. ( )

Summary: Epossumondas is not a disobedient kid, but sometimes he is forgetful. So when Epossumondas forgets his mama's instructions and chases a butterfly into a swamp, he has good reason to be scared that the loup-garou might get him. Fortunately, he his possum instincts help him survive until mama can rescue him.

Genre: fantasy

The good thing about books is that they portray messages and lessons to many of its readers. "Epossumondas Plays Dead" is a very good book to introduce to children who live in Louisiana because it will teach them about: myths that have been around that generated from the swamps, what kinds of animals live in Louisiana around swamps, and scenery (cypress trees and moss.) This book can be very educational for children because they will not only learn about Louisiana Geography in a sense, but they will learn about animals, particularly the possum. Children can understand why possums "play dead" when they fear that they are in danger. Help children "get to know" Louisiana from the illustrations and text. Many children can also relate to the possum because they, too, are forgetful and innocent. The children will especially like the fact that sometimes things do not work out for Epossumondas like he expects them to. For example, when he plays dead for most of the animals, it works to keep him safe, but for one particular animal, it only makes him more vulnerable. ( )

Epossumondas forgets his mother's warnings and ventures out into the swamp, chasing after a butterfly. He is then afraid he will run into the Loup-Garou. He finally finds relief by finding his mother. This is a cute book that teaches children to always listen to your parents, for they know best. Epossumondas could have gotten hurt or eaten by other swamp animals. I would use this book to teach my children about the Loup-Garou. I find it part of Louisiana folklore, and I am sure children will find it amusing especially during Halloween. I could take this further and read a folklore story about this creature. ( )