The Possum Creek
In the lead-up to the Olympics, we have received many emails and messages requesting some Olympic-themed book recommendations.
The My Little Bookcase community pulled together to collate a small list of books and Early Childhood teacher, Leanne Dunn, kindly wrote a review of The Possum Creek Olympics for us to feature. It is a book that makes a suitable resource for helping young children to learn about the Olympics.
You can see some other Olympic-themed book recommendations here and Tiny Me has produced a brilliant range of Olympic printables
The Possum Creek Olympics is a 29-page medium-sized paperback book. It is written as a poem with a six-line verse on each page. The final words of each line rhyme, which the reader can emphasize for their children listeners.
The story depicts Australian animals that live near a billabong: Kangaroo, Kookaburra, Platypus, Galah, Koala, Numbat, Emu, Cockatoo, etc. The Old Professor Cockatoo announces that Possum Creek has been selected to hold the next Olympics. The poem continues to show the animals creating their Olympic village with a swimming pool, track, and even accommodations for the athletes.
The Olympics are held and races depict Australian, African, and Chinese animals competing against each other. The poem is very authentic up until this point and could be used within an Early Childhood program or in the home environment to highlight what takes place before and during an Olympic event.
As an Early Childhood teacher, my only criticism of the book is that only Australian animals stand on the podium to receive medals. Although the author has been very realistic in his portrayal of the logistics of preparing for an Olympic event he hasn’t allowed for any other country to win the events. The author refers to ‘fair play’ earlier in the book, and maybe the story would have seemed fairer if a range of teams won the medals. This limitation in the book is important to note if you wanted to role-play the story.
Overall, this book has whimsical characters that perform human tasks such as building, reading, competing, and singing. I have used this book in a preschool program in the past but have always used it in conjunction with other authentic resources such as newspaper and magazine clippings of Olympic events to ensure that learning and play remained authentic and relevant.
Book Details:
The Possum Creek Olympics
Author: Dan Vallely
Illustrator: Yvonne Perrin
ISBN: 978-1876553104
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Murray David Publishing, 2003
