Possum Magic is a 1983 children's picture book by Australian author Mem Fox, and illustrated by Julie Vivas. It concerns a young female possum, named Hush, who becomes invisible and has a number of adventures. In 2001, a film was made by the American company Weston Woods and narrated by the author.
Plot
The two main characters are Grandma Poss and Hush. Hush has been made invisible by Grandma to protect her from Australian bush dangers. The story details the duo's adventures as they tour Australia searching for the secret to Hush's visibility. It is a rhythmical story of Australia's varied landscapes and the animals in them.
Development history
Fox wrote her first draft for Possum Magic in 1978, during a course in children's literature at Flinders University. Over five years, nine publishers rejected the draft. When it was accepted by Omnibus Books in Adelaide they asked Fox to reduce the book, then titled Hush the Invisible Mouse, by two-thirds (the original text ran four and a half pages without illustrations) and to change the mice to Australian animals to place emphasis on her Australian theme.[1]
Reception
Possum Magic is considered a classic in Australian children's literature.[2][3][4]
Reviews of Possum Magic have generally been positive. The Canberra Times called it "a wonderful story, a proper quest amid familiar surroundings,...".[5]Booklist wrote: "This agreeable tale from down under is peppered with Australia-isms, but there is a zest to the story that transcends the language barrier".[6]Possum Magic has also been reviewed by Meanjin,[7]School Library Journal,[8] and Horn Book Guides[9]
It is Australia's best selling children's book with almost 5 million sales (as at 2017),[11][12] and has continually appeared on best seller lists.[13][14][15][16][17]
In 2021, researchers from Edith Cowan University were critical of teachers over-relying on titles such as Possum Magic in the classroom because classic stories were not culturally diverse.[19][20] Despite finding Possum Magic included one illustration of a person of colour, the researchers expressed concern about books that featured animal characters, stating that stories about animals decreased the likelihood of children from minority backgrounds seeing characters representative of themselves.[19][21] The researchers recommended teachers use more contemporary texts which better represent a culturally diverse society, in addition to existing classic titles such as Possum Magic.[19] The research was criticised by several media commentators.[22][23]
Adaptations
A stage show adaptation was developed by Monkey Baa Theatre Company and toured Australia in 2019.[24][25] The adaptation was given a positive review by Judith Greenaway for ArtsHub Australia, who called it "detailed and beautiful and respectful of the original work".[26]
In 2023, The Australian Ballet School adapted the book into an original ballet, with music by Claire Cowan, and choreography by Loughlan Prior.[27]
^Maria Savvidis. "Stories in the sun". sl.nsw.gov.au. State Library of NSW. Retrieved 2 September 2021. The trend for popularising (and personifying) the country's native animals saw the creation of such classics as .. Mem Fox and Julie Vivas' Possum Magic (1983),
^Dianne Smith (June 2000), "Biographical Note", A Guide to the papers of Mem Fox(PDF), Lue Rees Archive, p. 3, retrieved 2 September 2021
^Jeanette Larson. "Possum Magic". School Library Journal. Media Source Inc. Retrieved 2 September 2021. A perfect choice for storytimes, but also useful for curriculum enrichment, thanks to a simplified map and glossary.
^"Possum Magic". Horn Book Guides. Media Source Inc. Retrieved 2 September 2021. one enchanting book.
^Kathleen T. Horning; Ginny Moore Kruse; Merri Lindgren (1991). "Picture Books". CCBC Choices(PDF). Cooperative Children's Book Center. p. 40. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
