The 'Possum That Didn't 

New York, Farrar and Straus, 1950.  [Publication date: 8 September] 

 

 

 

 

 

A perfectly contented little 'possum is discovered in the woods by a quartet of do-gooders, who -- since he's hanging upside down from a tree branch -- mistake his contented smile for a frown.  They take him to the city and spare no effort to cheer him up; although city life makes him miserable, the people foolishly believe they've succeeded when they behold his upside-down frown.  They are acclaimed for their "kindness," but in the meantime the poor little creature is left to make his own way back to the forest, and to his former state of bucolic bliss. 

 

Once again widely (and well) reviewed, The 'Possum essentially mines the same thematic vein as The Bear, and so seems somewhat derivative despite its undeniable wit and imagination. 

 

Dedication: "To Patricia Anne, the little girl that is...and does." 

 

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