Opossum Books for Kids

The Best Opossum Books for Kids

By the Bookroo Editors
Updated July 29, 2026

An opossum enters a story with an excellent bag of tricks: fifty teeth, grasping back feet, a tail that can steady a climb, and a famous last resort that makes a frightened animal look and smell dead. It is also the only marsupial native to the United States and Canada, raising babies in a pouch before carrying them in a furry convoy across its back. One useful name note: the Australian possums in books such as Possum Magic are different marsupials from the North American opossum, though children’s bookshelves have long filed both under the friendlier shortened word “possum.”

Bookroo’s collection of opossum books ranges from true animal science and classic read-aloud comedy to moonlit parties, storm-damaged homes, beginner-friendly friendships, and a full chapter-book rescue. Our editors chose twelve sturdy favorites for different ages and moods. Start with the fixed shortlist, then browse picture books for read-alouds and nature study or longer opossum stories for children reading on their own.

The Shortlist

Our 12 Favorite Opossum Books

Possum Magic
Sale price
$958
Picture Book · Ages 4–8 · 1983

Possum Magic

Grandma Poss makes Hush invisible for safety, then must remember the edible magic that will bring her back into view.

32 pages· 501 words· Est. 4 min read-aloud
Best for
A classic Australian read-aloud
4.2 Goodreads · 9,454 ratings
$9.99Save 4%
Paperback
Appleblossom the Possum
Sale price
$1597
Chapter Book · Ages 8–11 · 2015

Appleblossom the Possum

By Holly Goldberg Sloan, Gary A. Rosen (Illustrator), Gary Rosen (Illustrator)

A curious young opossum tumbles down a chimney, leaving her brothers to stage a rescue from the human house below.

274 pages· 30,695 words· Est. 4.5 hour read
Best for
Ages eight to twelve ready for a full animal adventure
5.3/7 Bookroo·3.9/5 Goodreads · 2,113 ratings
$16.99Save 6%
Hardcover
Don't Laugh, Joe!
Sale price
$1697
Picture Book · Ages 4–8 · 1997

Don't Laugh, Joe!

Joe can learn every step of playing dead except the important part: keeping his giggles quiet.

32 pages
Best for
A funny introduction to an opossum’s best-known defense
4.0 Goodreads · 231 ratings
$17.99Save 6%
Hardcover
Playing Possum
Sale price
$1697
Picture Book · Ages 4–7 · 2020

Playing Possum

Alfred freezes when he is nervous; Sofia rolls into a ball, and waiting patiently gives both animals time to become friends.

32 pages· 278 words· Est. 3 min read-aloud
Best for
Shy children who need a low-pressure friendship story
5.3/7 Bookroo·4.2/5 Goodreads · 198 ratings
$17.99Save 6%
Hardcover
Possum's Harvest Moon
Sale price
$759
Picture Book · Ages 4–7 · 1996

Possum's Harvest Moon

Possum plans one last party beneath the harvest moon, but every guest is busy preparing for winter.

32 pages· 564 words· Est. 5 min read-aloud
Best for
An autumn story time
4.5/7 Bookroo·3.9/5 Goodreads · 287 ratings
$7.99Save 5%
Paperback
Possum and the Summer Storm
Sale price
$1697
Picture Book · Ages 4–7 · 2018

Possum and the Summer Storm

A storm washes away the possum family’s brush-pile home, so the neighbors try combining their very different building skills.

32 pages· 516 words· Est. 4 min read-aloud
Best for
Curious children who like animal homes
4.1/7 Bookroo·3.7/5 Goodreads · 236 ratings
$17.99Save 6%
Hardcover
Epossumondas Plays Possum
Sale price
$1697
Picture Book · Ages 4–7 · 2009

Epossumondas Plays Possum

By Coleen Salley, Janet Stevens (Illustrator)

Lost in a Louisiana swamp, Epossumondas survives each frightening sound by remembering when to drop and play dead.

40 pages
Best for
A lively, slightly spooky read-aloud
3.9 Goodreads · 221 ratings
$17.99Save 6%
Hardcover
Night Animals
Sale price
$958
Board Book · Ages 3–5 · 2015

Night Animals

Possum, Skunk, and Wolf hide from the terrifying creatures outside until Bat points out one inconvenient fact.

34 pages
Best for
Bedtime readers who prefer laughs to reassurance
4.8/7 Bookroo·3.9/5 Goodreads · 1,801 ratings
$9.99Save 4%
Board book
Rabbit & Possum
Sale price
$1697
Picture Book · Ages 4–8 · 2018

Rabbit & Possum

Possum wakes from a nap, startles up a tree, and finds that every one of Rabbit’s rescue plans looks worse from above.

32 pages· 368 words· Est. 3 min read-aloud
Best for
A friendship story with visual problem solving
3.6 Goodreads · 166 ratings
$17.99Save 6%
Hardcover
It's a Baby Opossum!
Sale price
$2979
Picture Book · Ages 0–8 · 2008

It's a Baby Opossum!

Photographs follow a baby opossum through pouch life, early growth, feeding, habitat, and the dangers it must survive.

24 pages· 227 words· Est. 2 min read-aloud
Best for
A first opossum report or nature unit
4.2 Goodreads · 6 ratings
$31.36Save 5%
Library Binding
Cork & Fuzz
Sale price
$1348
Picture Book · Ages 5–8 · 2006

Cork & Fuzz

Cork insists that being older means he must be taller than Fuzz, even if a muskrat and an opossum grow by different rules.

32 pages· 1,028 words· Est. 8 min read-aloud
Best for
Beginning readers moving beyond easy picture books
4.1 Goodreads · 164 ratings
$13.99Save 4%
Hardcover
The Peculiar Possum
Sale price
$574
Picture Book · Ages 5–7 · 2018

The Peculiar Possum

Penny’s strange smell and dramatic collapse puzzle the Nocturnal Brigade until they learn what an opossum does under pressure.

64 pages
Best for
A fact-filled Level 2 early reader
4.1 Goodreads · 71 ratings
$5.99Save 4%
Paperback
Browse by age

Opossum Picture Books

Playing-dead comedy, animal facts, moonlit woodland stories, and gentle first readers for ages 3–8.

Eat Your Rocks, Croc!
Sale price
$1799

Eat Your Rocks, Croc!

Ages 4–8 · 2020

Animals in trouble seek Dr. Sugar Glider's quirky advice.

A Possum's Tail
Sale price
$1995

A Possum's Tail

Ages 3–6 · 2014

A boy unknowingly leads a parade of possums through the city.

Sale price
$1499

No Fooling

Ages 4–8 · 2012

A muskrat and possum face snowy adventures and test their friendship.

Milo's Christmas Parade
Sale price
$1799

Milo's Christmas Parade

Ages 4–8 · 2020

Can Milo the opossum's dream to join the Christmas parade come true?

Epossumondas Saves the Day
Sale price
$1600

Epossumondas Saves the Day

Ages 4–7 · 2006

Epossumondas must rescue his family and fetch sody for birthday biscuits.

Browse by age

Opossum Early Readers & Chapter Books

Short friendship stories, illustrated mysteries, nocturnal adventures, and a longer animal rescue for readers ages 6–12.

Sale price
$499

The Collectors

Ages 6–8 · 2008

A muskrat must save his friend from an angry duck.

Sale price
$599

Wait a Minute

Ages 6–8 · 2014

A muskrat and possum chase a mysterious yellow object. What could it be?

Sale price
$499

The Babysitters

Ages 6–8 · 2010

A missing porcupine forces unlikely friends to team up.

Sale price
$599

Best Friends

Ages 4–8 · 2010

Can a muskrat and possum find common ground despite their differences?

Sale price
$599

The Slithery Shakedown

Ages 5–7 · 2018

Three friends face a bully snake, discovering courage and teamwork along the way.