Review: Appleblossom the Possum

Appleblossom the Possum is about a possum who names herself Appleblossom.

She comes from a large family of siblings who all have names beginning with A. They are first batch babes of Mama Possum. Mama Possum teaches her young possums about the theatre of life! They need to take center stage to survive from monsters (cars, people, and dogs) and find food to eat each night. They need to find a place to rest when the sky turns the color of plums

Appleblossom the Possum is the fifth story from Holly Goldberg Sloan. (Perhaps you are familiar with her previous popular novel, Counting by 7s.) Sloan throws together fact and fiction when sharing the story of Appleblossom. Theatre studies also played a large roll in Sloan's story. The possums were anthropomorphic. When they interacted with "peoples," they did keep their squeaks rather than English conversation, which I appreciated.

Sloan's novel is on the 2016 Audie Finalist list for Young Listeners. Well-known actor, Dustin Hoffman, narrates Sloan's story. He can read well and bring fun dynamics to Appleblossom the Possum. I think my favorite character voices were Big Poss (Papa Possum) and Amlet. In addition to an Academy Award winning actor, Listening Library added sound effects and music throughout the story. It's is original music by Ry Cooder. Excellent addition to the story. The music brought a country, outdoor tone while the sounds effects gave it some umph and whimsy. I can hear that a lot of work went into this audiobook.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
Appleblossom the Possum by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Read by Dustin Hoffman
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 3
Total Time: 3 hours, 39 minutes
Release Date: August 2015
ISBN: 9780739360538