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Opossum is hiding from night animals. “Shhhh!” he tells Skunk as he hides inside a tree with him. His fears soon pass onto skunk.
When other night animals join them in the forest, their fears intensify. They believe something is following them and that it’s scary.
Poor opossum plays dead many times during this story. “I’m not here,” he says. In the illustration his closed eyes are replaced by the letter X. Animals who are usually enemies grab onto one another for comfort, especially when the big bear runs toward them. But he, too, is scared of the dark.
When the animals admit to a bat that they are scared of night animals, the bat puts their minds at ease with the obvious truth, but they are not calm for long. Children will be able to understand the humor they see on the final double-page spread as the story ends with the appearance of two children camping in the woods.
This is a great way to teach children about nocturnal animals and fear. The interactions between the animals are funny (skunk holds opossum by the tail at one point), and I love the way the flashlight is incorporated into the story. This is a picture book that could be enjoyed by children in preschool all the way through to grade three.
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Night Animals