Appleblossom the Possum

Dustin Hoffman brings whimsical energy to the charming adventure of a young possum called Appleblossom. Like Hoffman, Appleblossom and her siblings were born for the stage, spending their childhoods preparing for the high-stakes performances of their lives. Trading his naturally gravelly voice for a softer, squeakier version, Hoffman captures the innocence and curiosity of both the young possum and the human characters. Older characters from all over the animal kingdom also benefit from Hoffman's versatility and wide-ranging accents. But it's his engagement with the text that defines Hoffman's performance. He excels at highlighting the playfulness of Sloan's writing, matching his inflection and delivery to underscore the clever wordplay and well-timed punch lines. A.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

May 11, 2015
Appleblossom, a small and brave possum, and her 12 siblings learn from their Mama Possum that the world is a stage and that acting is necessary for survival, especially against the various “monsters” (cars, people, pets) that threaten. Ever the explorer, Appleblossom gets stuck inside a small “monster’s” house, complete with a dog and disgusted parents; brothers Antonio and Amlet try to mount a rescue effort while Appleblossom takes on the role of plaything. Sloan (Counting by 7s) divides the story between Appleblossom’s shrewd thinking in the house and her brothers’ search for help in the form of a bedraggled possum named Big Poss, who turns out to be an extraordinary actor. Rosen’s pink-tinged images (not all seen by PW) bring a playfulness to many of the scenes. Amid the homey message that family matters most, Sloan seeds the story with assorted possum facts and vocabulary lessons, but it’s the possum-as-actor metaphor (“Playing dead is one thing. But smelling dead is another. It adds a whole other layer to a possum performance”) that generates the most fun. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House.