Jacqui Halpin (text) and Gavin Scott (illustrator), It’s Time All Possums Went to Bed, Affirm Press, March 2022, 24 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922400864
At first glance, It’s Time All Possums Went to Bed is quietly unassuming. The cover of a sleepy little girl surrounded by soft toys with her mother, hints at a bedtime story. But turn to the first page and readers are introduced to an adventure featuring an array of Australia’s most well-known animals, albeit stuffed and fluffy!
Milly is not yet ready for bed, and before she falls asleep pretends to be a possum, bilby, echidna, emu, kangaroo, and wombat – an adventure that takes Milly and her mummy all over the house and garden!
Bedtime routines, Australian animals, and family bonding are the key themes here, and Jacqui Halpin has written a fun and easy to read rhyming story that young readers will enjoy. The rhyming pattern is perfectly suited to the target audience in the 3+ age bracket. Let’s not ignore that this picture book is also for the many parents out there trying to get little ones to sleep at bedtime! Look a little closer, and you will see that Milly’s mummy while playing along is also weaving in Milly’s routines of a snack and brushing teeth. Gavin Scott visually captures the light and playful tone with soft hues, and Milly’s exuberance and energy from beginning to end.
It’s Time All Possums Went to Bed is a great introduction for young readers learning about native animals and their behaviours shown through Milly’s active play and is well suited for early childhood classrooms and libraries. Educators and librarians can also access a set of teachers’ notes covering literacy and numeracy as part of identified curriculum areas.
Reviewed by Shelley Stephens
