Title: The Opossum and the Cats
Author: Marilyn B. Wassmann
Publisher: Writers’ Branding
ISBN: 978-1-63945-170-8
Pages: 32
Genre: Children’s Book / Poetry
Reviewed by: Beth Adam
Hollywood Book Reviews
Author Marilyn B. Wassmann has created a charming children’s story in her new book titled The Opossum and the Cats. I, admittedly, needed to Google the difference between Opossum and Possum, to understand the nature of the animals, and learned that basically they both are same and even the names are used interchangeably.
The story begins where the mommy cat is about to give birth, and she’s looking for a safe and cushiony spot to have her kittens. She finds an opossum’s den, dug-out under the floor of a shed outside and across from a house. The opossum was “playing possum” when the cat nestled in and had her litter. The opossum would go out and scavenge for food scraps in the trash at night, and sleep all day in the den, staying out of sight from humans and other animals. So, they all settled in together, the opossum, the mommy cat, and her five little kittens – a very adorable scene of different groups of animals – all cuddled together.
As the kittens grew each day, they became very accustomed to the long, pink and hairless tail of the opossum – sort of like a rat’s tail but different than those of cats. Then one day as the kittens began to frolic on their own outside the den, 4 of the 5 kittens are playing by the edge of a pond when they all fall into the water. The 5th kitten runs to get their mommy cat to help, but she was not in the den, but the opossum came to the rescue. The opossum used its long tail, like a rope, putting it into the pond and allowing the kittens to each grab hold of it and pulled them to safety. The book has a happy ending along with a powerful message of being a true story – a tale about a tail, so to speak.
Marilyn B. Wassmann uses a lulling beat and rhyme with her prose, writing this story with a nurturing rhyme used at the ending words of each sentence. This comforting way of writing entertains her readers, and those being read this story too, as well as uses a more complex vocabulary of which children will respond to very favorably. The behavioral characteristics of the opossum, a mommy cat birthing kittens, as well as the development of the baby kittens are all subtly juxtaposed, allowing young readers an insight into gaining familiarity to the socialization of animals. Helping any animal survive a life-threatening danger, regardless of the species, is an instinct very common – especially in us humans. The happy ending, of course, makes for this book to be an ideal bedtime story, sending children off to dreamland with happy thoughts.
A creative book with artful galley text laid out and illustrations, a clever rhyme and a theme of love, author Marilyn B. Wassmann’s The Opossum and the Cats will surely be a welcome addition to all home libraries, and a book which will be read over-and-over, each time bringing out new and endearing sentiments by its audience.