Epossumondas

Epossumondas is determinedly literal in this humorous picture-book from New Orleans storyteller Coleen Salley, the first of four such stories - subsequent titles include: Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail, Epossumondas Saves the Day and Epossumondas Plays Possum - to chronicle his (mis)adventures. Continually bringing home presents from his auntie's house, the didelphine hero (or should that be trickster?) of this tale follows his mama's instructions to the letter, but as said instructions are always delivered after the fact, and applied the next time around, they never quite work out, resulting in myriad disasters, from crumbled cake to melted butter...

When I see the name "Epaminondas," I think of the Theban general who brought show more down the Spartans (what can I say? I'm a student of classical antiquity), so I was surprised to discover, from Salley's afterword, that there is a folk-hero with this same name, from the southern tradition. I was even more surprised to discover, from my own research online, that this "noodlehead" figure - a folkloric character-type that gets caught in humorous misunderstandings (think the Jewish Fools of Chelm or the English Men of Gotham) - has featured in a series of children's stories, beginning with Sarah Cone Bryant's 1907 Epaminondas and His Auntie, that have been criticized as being egregiously racist. Somehow, although being very familiar with the controversy surrounding The Story of Little Black Sambo, I had been unaware of this similarly problematic tale.

What isn't clear to me, either from Salley's note, or from my reading elsewhere, is whether Bryant was the first to write a story featuring this character, and whether she took him from the African-American folk tradition (as Joel Chandler Harris did, with his tales of Uncle Remus). In any case, given the troubling history of this character (apparently Fannie Lou Hamer herself once criticized the inclusion of the Epaminondas figure in books for young African-American students), I can see why Salley chose to change him from a boy to an opossum. The story itself, in this form, is amusing, and will entertain young readers who enjoy tales of literalistic misdirection, ala Amelia Bedelia or Mole And Shrew. show less

This delightful tale is just as fun to act out and recite from memory as it is to read it and giggle with the illustrations. Famed New Orleanian storyteller Colleen Salley puts a spin on the southern folktale and makes it her own. The characters speak in local lingo and are humorous in a believable way. Young Epossumondas will remind all readers of a goofy brother, friend, or cousin who just couldn't quite follow directions no matter how hard he tried. A true New Orleans/Louisiana classic.

Knowing that Ms. Salley was a fabulous storyteller, I read this book expecting entertainment. She truly lived up to my expectations. Epossumondas is her own twist on a southern noodlehead tale of Epaminondas, a character who takes words literally. Epossumondas ruins quite a few things with his lack of understanding, but he still remains his mother's "sweet little patootie". My favorite line throughout the story was "you don't have the sense you were born with". This was a delightful read!

One of my favorite noodlehead stories, adapted slightly for these special characters.
Fantastic author's note that I highly recommend to all of my friends who read children's books or folktales.
I will read the rest of the series.
(Most of you probably will recognize most of what she explains in the note, but she adds details I hadn't put together yet and successfully writes a scholarly note that young children can understand & appreciate.)

Epossumondas is his mama's and his auntie's sweet little patootie, but sometimes he gets a little mixed up. Every time he visits his auntie, she gives him something to take home, but Epossumondas just can't seem to get his presents home in one piece. It's not his fault really, he's just following his mama's directions.
The illustrations in this sweet retelling of a southern folktale are the high point. The auntie and mama characters are just what readers would imagine an old southern lady would look like, and Empossumondas, in his little safety pinned diaper, is part child and animal. The story itself is rather silly, but gives readers, especially those between the ages of 4 and 6, the opportunity to learn how to decipher meaning and show more they'll laugh at the ridiculous situations along the way. show less

"Epossumondas" is a noodlehead, folktale that helps children see the funny humor in taking things literally. Throughout the entire book, Epossumondas' mother tries to explain to him the "right way" to bring home the things his auntie gives him for his mother. What the mother does not realize is that Epossumondas takes everything she says literally. At the end of the story, she tells him that she will go get the things from his auntie, and for him to step carefully watching the pies. Epossumondas makes sure he steps in the center of every pie carefully. This is fun and relatable for young children because sometimes they do not understand what people tell them. Sometimes they do not understand the meanings of words, like "take it and run show more with it," for example, and take the meaning literally. This book can also relate to mothers. Mothers can understand, through reading this book, with their child that they must not get frustrated when children do not understand what is being said. Reading your child this fun and light hearted tale of a possum who genuinely means well, can help your child (and yourself) to understand that sometimes all words are not meant to be taken literal, and that it is important to acknowledge the misunderstanding and take time out to explain things. show less

I’ve heard this story before when I lived in the South, although it was a different character. Using an opossum as the title character and combining that with the illustrations (especially of Mama and Auntie) adds a dimension that will draw in more children and adults. This allows for kids to share their won oral traditions, some old and some possibly new.