Possum Magic

Possum Magic is a 1983 children's book published Australian author Mem Fox. With over 3 million copies sold, it is the most successful children's and picture book of all time in Australia.

Formation

The author Fox began to study children's literature in the 1970s at Flinders University in Adelaide. As part of a research paper she wrote the four and a half page story Hush the Invisible Mouse. Your teacher Felix Hughes hit Fox ago to pursue a publication and to make illustrate the student Julie Vivas. The book was initially rejected by 9 publishers. The publisher Omnibus Books Fox finally asked them to replace the mouse by a typical Australian animals and create a shortened and more lyrical version of the text. Together with the new illustrations by Vivas emerged as Possum Magic, which was first published in 1983. To date, there has appeared in numerous editions with over 3 million copies sold, the most successful children's book in Australia and, according to a survey by the Australian Government Possum Magic is the most common in libraries held ready book.

Content

Main characters of the book are the two possums Hush and Grandma Poss. Grandma Poss has magical powers ( " magic bus " ) with which it makes Hush invisible. Wants to know as Hush one day, as it looks to make the two on the way to Australia to find a means by which Hush can be visible again. They encounter various Australian animals such as wombat, dingo, emu or a koala and try the various typical dishes, such as Anzac biscuits and Vegemite.

Further meaning

Based on the history of an eponymous musical was developed in 1990 by Garry Ginivan, which has since been regularly performed in Australia. Another musical version was played three times by the symphony orchestra Adelaide.