Review by Booklist Review
Ages 4-7. A cumulative rhyme with a country beat all its own. The redheaded narrator sees a possum a-knockin' at the door. While Granny is a-rockin' and a-knittin', and Ma's a-cookin' and Pa's a-fixin', that old possum in his top hat and vest just keeps knocking. The tale goes on like that, with the dog, cat, and various family members getting involved, while the redheaded boy unsuccessfully tries to tell them about the possum. When the boy finally does get their attention, the family checks, the possum hides, and the boy realizes he's been duped by one wily possum. This book begs to be read aloud and should be popular with story hour groups. Booth's line-and-watercolor artwork, echoing his famed New Yorker cartoons, is cleverly laid out; the action inside the house is framed by a window, while the possum outside makes fiendish faces as he tantilizes and teases. --Ilene Cooper
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Outside, there's a full moon in the sky and a grinning possum in a top hat with mischief on his mind. Inside, Granny's knitting, Pappy's whittling and other members of a slightly eccentric family are trying to get some chores done. Possum knocks at the door, setting off an hilarious chain reaction as the family pets go wild. The youngest child discovers the cause of the ruckus--only to be made a fool of when Pa and Ma investigate and the possum scurries into hiding. Practically begging to be read aloud, Van Laan's cumulative rhyme is a real toe-tapper, with a delightfully ``down-home'' flavor and an infectious syncopated rhythm. The characters that populate Booth's cartoon-like illustrations have a goofy charm (Tom-cat looks like a direct descendant of Bloom County's Bill). Ages 4 - 8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-- Possum tracks on the end papers lead directly to a pink-eyed, long-tailed possum in top hat and vest, energetically knocking on the door to a house. The indoor activities of the family members are viewed through a window and described in a rhyming, rhythmic, erratically cumulative text. ``Possum come a-knockin' at the door, at the door. Possum come a-knockin' at the door,'' says the girl who narrates. When the child finally convinces everyone to look outside, Possum hides behind a tree; they've all been tricked, and one suspects it may all happen again. Booth's trademark swinging lightbulb and demented dog and cat are here, but they're toned down a bit for the audience, and the addition of watercolor seems to have a calming influence as well. There are some problems: the family activities are stereotyped (Pa is hammering, Pappy's whittling, Ma is cooking, Granny's knitting); there may be objections to the use of mountain dialect, and there is an occasional weakness in the text. But children will relish the nonsense of it all and will soon be chanting along. --Leda Schubert, Vermont Department of Education, Montpelier (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The author has produced a wonderfully rhythmic and funny trickster tale told in a controlled dialect that is consistent throughout. Booth's critters - possum, cat, and dog - are priceless; the humans are pretty funny, too, while the stage set is appropriately countrified. A raucous romp. From HORN BOOK 1990, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
When sly, top-hatted possum raps at the moonlit door, only three of the busy family seen through the window notice: hound, cat, and a small child. Meanwhile, as described in exuberant verse, ""Pappy was a-whittlin',/makin' play toys for the baby . . .Sis was tossin' Baby/while Pappy was a-whittlin'""--all cheerfully oblivious to the ruckus outside Booth, whose comically dour characters are familiar to New Yorker readers, extends the story with several pictorial mini-dramas: the dance between the hanging light bulb and Brother's wayward fish line; the hound's mounting aggravation; the possum's mischievous retreat when Pa finally opens the door. High-spirited, imaginative fun. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
