I think most people think about magic in three ways: Harry Potter, a person with a rabbit coming out of a top hat, or David Blaine. Possum Magic by Mem Fox is a magical tale in its own way, but magic is used as protection. This story of Grandma Poss and Hush, two possums living in the Australian Bush, shows that magic can take many forms.
Grandma Poss is a possum who has the magical skills to change animals' colors, make dingoes smile, and even shrink other animals. Her magic seems to be mischievous and fun on the first few pages, but it is revealed that she made her precious granddaughter, Hush, invisible. Hush definitely has fun as an invisible possum, but the main reason Grandma Poss made her invisible is to protect her from snakes. One of Julie Vivas's illustrations shows an invisible Hush hanging from a vine while a large snake slithers underneath her. This snake is huge and could swallow a small possum like her in one bite. Since Grandma Poss is Hush's parent (her mom and dad are not part of the story), you can imagine a scenario where Hush's parents were killed by another animal and Grandma Poss wanted to protect her only family member. Wow, that took a dark turn!
One day, though, Hush tells Grandma Poss that she wants to be visible again. This is surprising and difficult for Grandma Poss, because she cannot find the right magic to turn Hush visible. After long nights of searching and worrying, Grandma Poss remembers that the answer has something to do with human food. They take off on a bicycle from the bush to Australia's big cities to try different food. In addition to being a very great story, Possum Magic gives American children the chance to learn about food and a little geography in Australia. The glossary in the back of the book describes the different foods they eat and shows a map of the different cities. Grandma Poss and Hush go to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane with no luck (but they did eat some great food!). When they get to Darwin, up north, Hush eats a Vegemite sandwich and her tail appears! They keep the good luck going in Perth at the beach. Hush eats a pavlova (a fruit dessert with meringue) and her body appears. The illustrations show the outline of her head, so it doesn't look as creepy as it would in real life. Imagine a headless possum running around! Finally, in Hobart, Tasmania, they find the final key: lambington. Lambington cake is sponge cake covered in chocolate icing and rolled in coconut. Grandma Poss and Hush celebrate their victory, and Hush is fully visible. From then on, at her birthday, they eat a Vegemite sandwich, a pavlova, and lambington cake. Yum!
It must have been frightening for Hush to become visible piece by piece, and it must have terrified Grandma Poss to have Hush become visible again, but the book presents the happy ending that shows both characters happy and peaceful. Just the way it should be!