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    Epossumondas Saves the Day
    Unavailable
    Epossumondas Saves the Day
    Unavailable
    Epossumondas Saves the Day
    Audiobook30 minutes

    Epossumondas Saves the Day

    Written by Coleen Salley

    Narrated by Coleen Salley and Cynthia Darlow

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Coleen Salley’s wonderful Epossumondas books are audio treats for young listeners. Mama is preparing a birthday cake for her sweet patootie, when she realizes she’s out of baking soda. So she sends two friends to the store to help out, but neither returns because they get swallowed by a huge snapping turtle.Mama then ventures out herself, only to meet the same fate. Now it’s up to Epossumondas to save the day and rescue everyone.
    “Children will love listening to the tale and will laugh out loud at the verbal expressions and the artwork.”—School Library Journal
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books Audio
    Release dateMar 8, 2013
    ISBN9781470356989
    Unavailable
    Epossumondas Saves the Day
    Author

    Coleen Salley

    Coleen Salley (1929-2008) was a renowned storyteller, a distinguished professor of children's literature, and the author of a number of beloved picture books. The classic Southern story of Epaminondas was her longtime trademark tale at storytelling performances nationwide. She adapted this story into the acclaimed picture book Epossumondas, followed by Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail, Epossumondas Saves the Day, and Epossumondas Plays Possum, all illustrated by Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Janet Stevens. She was raised  in Baton Rouge and lived most of her adult life in New Orleans. She was a Professor Emeritus of the University of New Orleans. Visit her website at www.coleensalley.com.

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    Reviews for Epossumondas Saves the Day

    4/5

    23 ratings13 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Epossumondas is determinedly literal in this humorous picture-book from New Orleans storyteller Coleen Salley, the first of four such stories - subsequent titles include: Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail, Epossumondas Saves the Day and Epossumondas Plays Possum - to chronicle his (mis)adventures. Continually bringing home presents from his auntie's house, the didelphine hero (or should that be trickster?) of this tale follows his mama's instructions to the letter, but as said instructions are always delivered after the fact, and applied the next time around, they never quite work out, resulting in myriad disasters, from crumbled cake to melted butter...When I see the name "Epaminondas," I think of the Theban general who brought down the Spartans (what can I say? I'm a student of classical antiquity), so I was surprised to discover, from Salley's afterword, that there is a folk-hero with this same name, from the southern tradition. I was even more surprised to discover, from my own research online, that this "noodlehead" figure - a folkloric character-type that gets caught in humorous misunderstandings (think the Jewish Fools of Chelm or the English Men of Gotham) - has featured in a series of children's stories, beginning with Sarah Cone Bryant's 1907 Epaminondas and His Auntie, that have been criticized as being egregiously racist. Somehow, although being very familiar with the controversy surrounding The Story of Little Black Sambo, I had been unaware of this similarly problematic tale.What isn't clear to me, either from Salley's note, or from my reading elsewhere, is whether Bryant was the first to write a story featuring this character, and whether she took him from the African-American folk tradition (as Joel Chandler Harris did, with his tales of Uncle Remus). In any case, given the troubling history of this character (apparently Fannie Lou Hamer herself once criticized the inclusion of the Epaminondas figure in books for young African-American students), I can see why Salley chose to change him from a boy to an opossum. The story itself, in this form, is amusing, and will entertain young readers who enjoy tales of literalistic misdirection, ala Amelia Bedelia or Mole And Shrew.
    • 2/5
      This book was alright. Epoddumondas reminds me of the Amelia Bedelia. I don't know that I read it aloud to my class but if I ran across it at Goodwill I would buy it for my classroom library.
    • 2/5
      Did not really like this book but I understand how it might be used to discuss elements of story telling. It also has some interesting vocabulary.
    • 3/5
      I thought this book was silly and kids probably would enjoy it, which is why I gave it a three. But, I don't know if I would read it to my students because I think that the advice that the lady is giving Epossumondas is not good advice and it's setting him up for failure every time.
    • 5/5
      Knowing that Ms. Salley was a fabulous storyteller, I read this book expecting entertainment. She truly lived up to my expectations. Epossumondas is her own twist on a southern noodlehead tale of Epaminondas, a character who takes words literally. Epossumondas ruins quite a few things with his lack of understanding, but he still remains his mother's "sweet little patootie". My favorite line throughout the story was "you don't have the sense you were born with". This was a delightful read!
    • 5/5
      What an adorable book! The vernacular used in the writing alone is fantastic, but added with the illustrations it is priceless! It is amusing and provides an explanation at the end of the book that allows a glimpse into Southern culture.
    • 4/5
      Epossumondas is his mama's and his auntie's sweet little patootie, but sometimes he gets a little mixed up. Every time he visits his auntie, she gives him something to take home, but Epossumondas just can't seem to get his presents home in one piece. It's not his fault really, he's just following his mama's directions.The illustrations in this sweet retelling of a southern folktale are the high point. The auntie and mama characters are just what readers would imagine an old southern lady would look like, and Empossumondas, in his little safety pinned diaper, is part child and animal. The story itself is rather silly, but gives readers, especially those between the ages of 4 and 6, the opportunity to learn how to decipher meaning and they'll laugh at the ridiculous situations along the way.
    • 4/5
      "Epossumondas" is a noodlehead, folktale that helps children see the funny humor in taking things literally. Throughout the entire book, Epossumondas' mother tries to explain to him the "right way" to bring home the things his auntie gives him for his mother. What the mother does not realize is that Epossumondas takes everything she says literally. At the end of the story, she tells him that she will go get the things from his auntie, and for him to step carefully watching the pies. Epossumondas makes sure he steps in the center of every pie carefully. This is fun and relatable for young children because sometimes they do not understand what people tell them. Sometimes they do not understand the meanings of words, like "take it and run with it," for example, and take the meaning literally. This book can also relate to mothers. Mothers can understand, through reading this book, with their child that they must not get frustrated when children do not understand what is being said. Reading your child this fun and light hearted tale of a possum who genuinely means well, can help your child (and yourself) to understand that sometimes all words are not meant to be taken literal, and that it is important to acknowledge the misunderstanding and take time out to explain things.
    • 4/5
      Epossumondas' friends and family disappear into the belly of a mean, old, ugly snapping turtle after leaving the store with the baking soda needed for his cake. Can he save them and his birthday party? This feels like an old fashioned folk tale with a satisfying plot and engaging characters. Illustrations are excellent, as usual for Janet Stevens.
    • 5/5
      This delightful tale is just as fun to act out and recite from memory as it is to read it and giggle with the illustrations. Famed New Orleanian storyteller Colleen Salley puts a spin on the southern folktale and makes it her own. The characters speak in local lingo and are humorous in a believable way. Young Epossumondas will remind all readers of a goofy brother, friend, or cousin who just couldn't quite follow directions no matter how hard he tried. A true New Orleans/Louisiana classic.
    • 4/5
      My great aunt Jessie told me this story when I was young. She would trail her fingers along my face and ears to mimic butter melting down my head. The story was always told and never read. I didn't find a print copy of the story until I was an adult. I'm glad this picture book is available for another generation of kids.
    • 4/5
      This is a good example of a folktale because it’s about a young possum who continually takes him mother direction to literally showing in a funny way why that is a problem. Media: water color and colored pencil
    • 5/5
      My mother's favorite children's book was Epanynomous. Later, people cried racism because the story was about a dumb little black boy. I started telling it as a Jack tale to preserve the plot.Coleen Salley and Janet Stevens rescue this hilarious tale by creating Epossumondas instead.