POSSUM TRAGIC :A Tale of Pumpkins & Plastic

Where does Halloween come from? Where does it all go? And who goes with it? A curly tale of invasion and dispossession, possums and plastic, spooks, kooks, sugar and murder. 

There’s lots to explore here at the intersection of local wildlife and global culture. 

SYNOPSIS: Our narrator, Possum, and his family and friends are the victims of Halloween celebrations. We follow Possum as he encounters the arrival of Halloween in his neighbourhood, recounts the behaviour of ‘The Neighbours’, and notes the changes to his local habitat, and the involvement of others, from kids to insects. From the outset, Possum warns the reader that he will not survive in this story. We see Possum cannot avoid The Pumpkins and The Web, as he follows their impact from party props to pollution... and ultimately to his own tragic demise. 

Rhyming text revels in the musicality of speech. Illustrations are spookily beautiful and beautifully spooky. ‘this book will get kids talking!’ 

Halloween; possums, Australian wildlife, pollution, cultural traditions, local v global, culture and consumerism, plastic and pollution, environment and ideology, invasion and dispossession, Life and Death, spooks and kooks...and more. 

“This book demands to be discussed. It lives at the heart of what matters most to Kids — their future and the future of this planet. It raises question after question about they way we do things as a society. It speaks their language via kooky imagery and fun, while drawing their attention to subjects that need their thoughtfulness. It respects kids and their place in the scheme of things, and allows them to consider the big questions. Classes just fall out of this book, bringing hours of animated discussion.

“Kids will love this book. It revels in the spooky fun of Halloween, while at the same time digging in to what Halloween means for the environment. The book goes far beyond Halloween, as a metaphor for all-year-round issues of plastic pollution, invasion, culture, the environment, and even the nature of the internet. Possum Tragic is packed with ideas. 

“Kids are acutely connected to issues of the environment and the planet’s future. Possum Tragic acknowledges that, and focuses on parents, culture, commercialism and Big Plastic while placing Kids and wildlife at the heart of the story. There is much to discuss in class, lots to learn, and great resources in the book’s notes. The images are guaranteed to engage kids, with striking colour and illustrations that are spookily beautiful, and offer a variety of stylistic approaches.” 

—Lex Ridgeway, Melbournestyle Books