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Possum Magic
Grandma Poss uses her best bush magic to make Hush invisible. But when Hush longs to be able to see herself again, the two possums must make their way across Australia to find the magic food that will make Hush visible once more. “Another treat from Mem Fox that is sure to be treasured. The whimsical illustrations are a wonderful complement.”-- Children’s Book Review Service
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
46 people are currently reading
2041 people want to read
About the author
Mem Fox
122 books425 followersMerrion Frances Fox is an Australian writer of children's books and an educationalist specialising in literacy. Fox has been semi-retired since 1996, but she still gives seminars and lives in Adelaide, South Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 374 reviews
February 21, 2010
A sparkling story steeped in Australian "magic" about Grandma Poss and little Hush, two possums from the country. Grandma works her magic so Hush is invisible, which allows the little possum to do lots of fun things (like slide down kangaroos' backs) and also stay hidden from snakes (which is why Grandma worked the magic in the first place!) But one day, Hush decides she wants to be visible. Turns out, human food is the only way to make it happen and, in true Australian style, it isn't until Hush starts to eat a Vegemite sandwich that she starts to become visible. This is a humorous and heartwarming romp through Australian geography and gastronomy with absolutely charming illustrations. A total delight!
September 3, 2018
Reread in preparation for my Australia trip. Still awesome!
March 4, 2010
There’s a cute pictorial map at the end showing the journey through (including regional foods eaten) and places in Australia. As always, I love maps in books. This is a sweet story of a possum, made magically invisible for safety reasons by her grandma, who decides she wants to be visible. How this feat is achieved is great fun. Even so, the story didn’t really wow me, but the illustrations are very fine. In addition to the fun map, there’s a glossary of Australian terms in the back of the book, all the words being foods common in Australia. Fun touch!
August 9, 2018
Classic Australian children's literature right here. Such a lovely little adventure and it was a fun experience with all the foods but there's also that secret little dig at not wanting to be invisible which breaks my heart a little bit these days when I think of it with all my adult wisdom.
August 29, 2019
When Grandma Poss uses her Bush Magic to make Hush invisible, the little possum has many amusing adventures: being squashed by koalas, riding down the backs of kangaroos, and hiding (as her grandmother intended!) from snakes. But when she decides that she wants to see herself again, Grandma announces that the cure lies in eating human food, of... some kind. And so the pair sets off around Australia, eating Anzac biscuits in Adelaide, Minties in Melbourne, and Vegemite sandwiches in Darwin...
A picture-book travelogue/fantasy featuring two of the most adorable didelphine heroines in literature, Possum Magic is an Australian tour-de-force, and one of two titles that author Mem Fox and illustrator Julie Vivas worked on together (the other being Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge ). The story is engaging enough - I liked the inclusion of so many uniquely Australian treats - but it is the artwork that really makes the book! Vivas' creatures are amusing, endearing, and simply delightful; her scenes magical and involving! Highly recommended to all young readers who appreciate magical stories, animal stories, or Australian stories!
A picture-book travelogue/fantasy featuring two of the most adorable didelphine heroines in literature, Possum Magic is an Australian tour-de-force, and one of two titles that author Mem Fox and illustrator Julie Vivas worked on together (the other being Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge ). The story is engaging enough - I liked the inclusion of so many uniquely Australian treats - but it is the artwork that really makes the book! Vivas' creatures are amusing, endearing, and simply delightful; her scenes magical and involving! Highly recommended to all young readers who appreciate magical stories, animal stories, or Australian stories!
October 1, 2009
I heard Mem being interviewed on TV a while ago. She said that if you didn't have time as parents to read several books a day to your children (meaning picture books, as you might imagine) you should have had gold fish instead.
I anxiously rang my mother the next day. 'Did you read to us when we were that little?' - too little to remember? She reacted a bit like she'd been asked if she abused us. 'Of course we read to you when you were little', sounding a bit shocked that I'd even wondered.
Not surprisingly, maybe, since my mother taught with Mem when we were little and in fact Mem gave us elocution lessons while we were in primary school. My parents thought we should have all these extra things in our lives, but we were just as poor as poor could be, so if somebody like a schoolteaching mate could be called upon to get involved, so much the better. She was a dramatic, vivacious teacher.
Much later on, about 1980, when I was twenty or so, a girl who used to cast for the famous sex soap opera No. 96 in the early seventies, said she wished she could have used my voice. I've always wondered if that was due to, or despite, Mem's lessons. And if she would have considered this a success or a failure.
I anxiously rang my mother the next day. 'Did you read to us when we were that little?' - too little to remember? She reacted a bit like she'd been asked if she abused us. 'Of course we read to you when you were little', sounding a bit shocked that I'd even wondered.
Not surprisingly, maybe, since my mother taught with Mem when we were little and in fact Mem gave us elocution lessons while we were in primary school. My parents thought we should have all these extra things in our lives, but we were just as poor as poor could be, so if somebody like a schoolteaching mate could be called upon to get involved, so much the better. She was a dramatic, vivacious teacher.
Much later on, about 1980, when I was twenty or so, a girl who used to cast for the famous sex soap opera No. 96 in the early seventies, said she wished she could have used my voice. I've always wondered if that was due to, or despite, Mem's lessons. And if she would have considered this a success or a failure.
February 23, 2022
the illustrations are more than incredible, made with an utter skill. nothing but charming, wholesome. once could read between the lines of the story of a petit invisible possum that wanted to be made visible again. doubtlessly adorable.
September 22, 2019
This is a cute story. I liked it. Nice and easy for mummy to read. Now I want a vegemite sandwich, pavlova and lamington for my birthday!
September 5, 2013
Another book we had to read for school and another weird one. It was included with our history lessons and we had to read it to coincide with Australia. A lot of new words included with foreign animals, that make it difficult to learn because there's nothing telling us what the animal is, even though there are pictures. So for example, you have a page with lots of animals and words that talk about wombats, kookaburras, dingoes, emus, and bush magic. To a 5 yr old with no knowledge of these animals, it makes it very confusing. We had to stop and talk about each one, but still, it was hard for him to remember the difference. Our lesson includes a song about kookaburras that my son really likes, so now after we've learned the song, it's easy to remember the word, but the book wasn't as helpful in that. Still, if you've the time to explain all the stuff in the book, it gives somewhat of an idea of some of Australian animals. Not enough info to be helpful, although the pictures were nice.
October 27, 2015
Update Jan. 1, 2015:
A delightful and beautiful illustrated Australian tale about a little possum who is made invisible and after a while doesn't want to be invisible anymore. He and his grandmother travel throughout Australia to find the right food to turn him back. It's a nice mention of various places around the continent and Tazmania, although the drawings don't really reflect that. It's so cute and sweet, though, it doesn't matter and you hear about foods from different regions.
It's still a little random, though.
Original review Oct. 30, 2008:
This has to be one of the most random children's books I've ever read. It's a strange story that doesn't make a lot of sense. But the illustrations are beautiful watercolors that make the book worth reading on their own.
A delightful and beautiful illustrated Australian tale about a little possum who is made invisible and after a while doesn't want to be invisible anymore. He and his grandmother travel throughout Australia to find the right food to turn him back. It's a nice mention of various places around the continent and Tazmania, although the drawings don't really reflect that. It's so cute and sweet, though, it doesn't matter and you hear about foods from different regions.
It's still a little random, though.
Original review Oct. 30, 2008:
This has to be one of the most random children's books I've ever read. It's a strange story that doesn't make a lot of sense. But the illustrations are beautiful watercolors that make the book worth reading on their own.
December 28, 2018
2009 Feb 15
2008 Feb 20
1991 Jan 01
A long favorite of mine. I'm glad the kids like it too. Someday I'd like to follow in Hush's footsteps, eating my way around Australia.
***
Oh, how I love this book. Still.
Library copy.
2008 Feb 20
1991 Jan 01
A long favorite of mine. I'm glad the kids like it too. Someday I'd like to follow in Hush's footsteps, eating my way around Australia.
***
Oh, how I love this book. Still.
Library copy.
February 23, 2023
Ok, I finally got around to reading this Australian classic. (Yeah, I know I'm bad.)
A simply wonderful picture book.
A simply wonderful picture book.
December 16, 2019
A trip back to my childhood! Such an awesome little Aussie story
October 22, 2011
Our two possum protagonists have the endearing names of Hush and Grandma Poss. Now Grandma Poss is a whizz at bush magic and and devises a pièce de résistance, a magic that makes Hush invisible. Unseen, Hush gets into all sorts of fun and loves all that invisibility offers, like safety from snakes and sliding down kangaroo backs!
One day Hush decides she wants to be able to see herself again and asks Grandma to reverse the magic, but despite looking through all her magic books, Grandma Poss is stumped. All she remembers is it has something to do with human food, so off they set on what becomes a tour of the famous cuisine of some of Australia’s most well-known cities. The first attempts were failures, but a vegemite sandwich in north Australia brings Hush’s tail back into visibility. Perth pavlova results in the appearance of legs and body, while a final stop and some lamington in Tasmania seals the deal! The final page shows a map of the culinary tour and a glossary of the dishes. Mem bursts into rhyme a few times in the story, otherwise the words are simple and flowing and easy for children to follow. The illustrations are charming: grandma Poss in pinny and pumps cycling around Australia with Hush on her back…. The story is a delight in itself but would be a huge asset to any classroom teacher wanting to introduce Australia to his/her students. This book makes me want to hop straight on a plane to Sydney and then into the bush!
One day Hush decides she wants to be able to see herself again and asks Grandma to reverse the magic, but despite looking through all her magic books, Grandma Poss is stumped. All she remembers is it has something to do with human food, so off they set on what becomes a tour of the famous cuisine of some of Australia’s most well-known cities. The first attempts were failures, but a vegemite sandwich in north Australia brings Hush’s tail back into visibility. Perth pavlova results in the appearance of legs and body, while a final stop and some lamington in Tasmania seals the deal! The final page shows a map of the culinary tour and a glossary of the dishes. Mem bursts into rhyme a few times in the story, otherwise the words are simple and flowing and easy for children to follow. The illustrations are charming: grandma Poss in pinny and pumps cycling around Australia with Hush on her back…. The story is a delight in itself but would be a huge asset to any classroom teacher wanting to introduce Australia to his/her students. This book makes me want to hop straight on a plane to Sydney and then into the bush!
May 3, 2013
I love reading books from other countries, and this is one that's quickly become a huge hit in our house, thank you to a friend of mine from Australia. Sadly I hadn't even heard of this book until I received, but now that it's become part of our collection of picture books, it's one that's been read more than a few times.
Possum Magic follows the story of two possums, Grandma Poss and Hush, whom live in the Australian Bush. Prior to the start of the story Grandma Poss made Hush invisible to protect her from harm. Seeing as they live in the Bush, there are a lot of predators around them. As Hush begins to become curious about what she looks like, Grandma Poss can't find the recipe to turn her back, thus begins the journey of Grandma Poss and Hush traveling around Australia to find the perfect ingredients they need in order for Hush to be visible again.
Not only is this story cute, the illustrations are amazing! I love the water colors and being able to share with my children, artwork of various animals native to Australia. I have to point out what a great job the illustrator, Julie Vivas did in showing Hush as invisible. My kids loved watching her become visible again. Possum Magic is a story we've really enjoyed reading. I don't know if there's much of a difference between the original story and the 30th Anniversary one I was given or not, but either way this is one story I wish I had discovered long ago.
Possum Magic follows the story of two possums, Grandma Poss and Hush, whom live in the Australian Bush. Prior to the start of the story Grandma Poss made Hush invisible to protect her from harm. Seeing as they live in the Bush, there are a lot of predators around them. As Hush begins to become curious about what she looks like, Grandma Poss can't find the recipe to turn her back, thus begins the journey of Grandma Poss and Hush traveling around Australia to find the perfect ingredients they need in order for Hush to be visible again.
Not only is this story cute, the illustrations are amazing! I love the water colors and being able to share with my children, artwork of various animals native to Australia. I have to point out what a great job the illustrator, Julie Vivas did in showing Hush as invisible. My kids loved watching her become visible again. Possum Magic is a story we've really enjoyed reading. I don't know if there's much of a difference between the original story and the 30th Anniversary one I was given or not, but either way this is one story I wish I had discovered long ago.
October 28, 2017
Reread on 28 October 2017
Read with my Turkish host family's children. While a lot of this probably went over the 3-year-old's head (who outside Australia knows what a lamington or pavlova is?), he enjoyed asking me 'What's that?' and pointing to the wombat and the koala. The idea of a possum is something he still doesn't get. Reading this so far away from home this time made me miss Australian 'culture' somewhat; well, maybe just lamingtons...
Original review from 5 November 2013
A charming Australian children's classic about Hush and Grandma Poss and their quest to find food to make Hush visible again. Another one of those books that every Australian kid remembers from childhood, and no American kid could decipher, probably: quick, find me a vegemite sandwich, pavlova and a lamington!
Read with my Turkish host family's children. While a lot of this probably went over the 3-year-old's head (who outside Australia knows what a lamington or pavlova is?), he enjoyed asking me 'What's that?' and pointing to the wombat and the koala. The idea of a possum is something he still doesn't get. Reading this so far away from home this time made me miss Australian 'culture' somewhat; well, maybe just lamingtons...
Original review from 5 November 2013
A charming Australian children's classic about Hush and Grandma Poss and their quest to find food to make Hush visible again. Another one of those books that every Australian kid remembers from childhood, and no American kid could decipher, probably: quick, find me a vegemite sandwich, pavlova and a lamington!
Read
December 14, 2013This book was absolutely precious. The story of little possums, crossing the vast wilderness of Australia trying to find a magic bush that will no longer make their friend invisible anymore is wonderful. It not only teaches children the power of working together, but it sparks the questions of what type of animal is living in Australia. This is a great conversation piece for children talking about the laws of physics and whether or not people can actually turn invisible as well as a biological discussion about the different wildlife with in the Australian outback.
I would recommend this book for grades 2nd through 5th.
I would recommend this book for grades 2nd through 5th.
February 18, 2019
My absolute favorite childhood book is just as magical now when reading it to my own daughter. This adorable story follows Hush and Grandma Poss on a wild food-filled adventure to make Hush visible again. Every time I read it, I get nostalgia for all the yummy Australian goodies I grew up with!
GR2019 Challenge Placeholder for H&H Beta
GR2019 Challenge Placeholder for H&H Beta
October 15, 2020
Grandma Poss uses magic to turn Hush invisible, but then can't find the magic to turn her back, so they set off on a food testing trip to find the magic ingredient that will make Hush visible again!
Set in Australia and features several marsupials.
Read for the 1001 Children's Books to Read Before You Grow Up list.
Set in Australia and features several marsupials.
Read for the 1001 Children's Books to Read Before You Grow Up list.
Want to read
February 28, 2017AN AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN’S-BOOK AUTHOR’S U.S. CUSTOMS ORDEAL
By Cynthia Zarin February 27, 2017
in: http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
By Cynthia Zarin February 27, 2017
in: http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
October 4, 2020
#FemmeFanTale
Prompt: Oceania- read a book written by an Australian author and the book is also set in places in Australia
NEWTS Readathon
Career: Wandmaker
Subject: Care of Magical Creatures
Prompt: Flobberworm- Lazy is fine! read something short
Grade: E, Exceeded Expectations
Prompt: Oceania- read a book written by an Australian author and the book is also set in places in Australia
NEWTS Readathon
Career: Wandmaker
Subject: Care of Magical Creatures
Prompt: Flobberworm- Lazy is fine! read something short
Grade: E, Exceeded Expectations
December 18, 2021
Still a great story years later.
February 24, 2014
This book gives a glimpse of different cultures to children. It is a fun book that encourages them to follow the story of a possum as he travels from place to place, discovering the magic in each.
April 12, 2015
This book needs to be read with a selection of Australian snacks including the vegemite. Seriously. What a fun story. I love the magic of Grandma Poss. What a neat book!
February 12, 2017
I no longer have this book because it wasn't a favorite of mine, but the kids remember it, not the story, but the animals and the "magic food."
July 27, 2015
Possum Magic is glorious and unashamedly Australian and one of the better things to come out of the 80s. It is just wonderful.
October 20, 2015
A classic Aussie story for all ages.
If you come here, make sure to grab a copy - it makes for a great souvenir!
If you come here, make sure to grab a copy - it makes for a great souvenir!
February 10, 2017
Can't think why this book is a classic. There are far better Australian children's books. Anyway...
September 4, 2018
One of the best children's books out there
February 20, 2018
Never really liked this book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 374 reviews