ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Rabbit is excited for her friend Possum to come over: she cleans her burrow and makes their favorite snacks. But Possum is taking a nap in a clearing, and he won't budge! At least, until he hears what he thinks is a monster and dashes up a tree in terror. But oops! doesn't know how to get down. Rabbit attempts various ways to help Possum out of the tree, such as a pile of leaves to fall onto, "but all her ideas make him a little uneasy," especially when she makes a ladder that is way too short. Possum is certain that he'll be stuck up the tree forever, but persistent Rabbit eventually comes up with an unusual but perfect solution. Wulfekotte combines lines of description with speech balloons in this comical story. Her cartoon artwork, set in woodsy scenes in a fitting palette of natural tones, amps up the humor with the expressive faces of the two friends with polar-opposite personalities. Kids will have an easy time relating to this funny friendship story.

Kirkus Reviews

Energetic Rabbit invites her friend Possum for a snack but must first figure out a way to help him climb down from a high tree branch.When Possum hears rustling in the bushes, he assumes a monster is close by and, frightened, scampers up a tree—only to realize later that he cannot get down. Good friend Rabbit tries unsuccessfully to climb the tree and then thinks of various implausible ways to rescue her friend. One includes building a ladder that, humorously, is too short, effectively depicted in a well-composed double-page spread. Finally Rabbit decides to ask the "monster" (really a moose with very large antlers) for help but must first convince Possum to quell his fear. Later relieved to learn that Moose is a vegetarian and not a possum-eating monster, Possum is still not ready to repeat the whole experience when, after a snack of lettuce sandwiches and carrots, he reacts with an anxious "NO!" to Rabbit's suggestion, "Let's climb another tree!" Simple, cartoon-style digitally colored pencil drawings fill in the story's narration with illustrated thought bubbles reflecting Rabbit's ideas for rescue. Looking closely, readers can surmise who the "monster" is from Moose's various hidden poses in the backgrounds of each scene. At the same time the storyline is enhanced with well-integrated dialogue balloons highlighting both problem and solution from each character's perspective. Friendship, loyalty, and determination come through in this well-paced exploit. (Picture book. 3-5)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

After a frightened Possum races up a tree and gets trapped, Rabbit employs creative problem solving to get her friend back down. Rabbit proposes a variety of options, -but all her ideas made him a little uneasy.- In a funny sequence, debut author-illustrator uses a series of speech balloons to showcase Rabbit-s dubious plans: a beaver gnawing through the tree trunk, a trio of overtaxed birds flying Possum to safety, or a large pile of leaves that Possum might or might not land in. Eventually, Rabbit enlists the help of a tall moose-the very -monster- that scared Possum up the tree in the first place. Readers know from the start that Moose is no monster, and Possum-s reactions to his fellow forest dweller seem a bit odd-has he never seen a moose before? Wulfekotte-s cartoons are charming, featuring scruffy pencil detailing and watercolorlike washes of digital color, though after all of the buildup, it-s strange that Possum-s actual descent from the tree happens off-screen. Ages 4-8. Agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary. (Feb.)

School Library Journal (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

PreS-Gr 1 Rabbit has invited Possum over for snacks, but Possum has fallen fast asleep and can't be awakened until Moose shows up on the scene, rustling in the bushes for a snack of his own. Waking with a start, Possum assumes that Moose is a monster and rushes up a tree, where he promptly gets stuck. Rabbit's efforts to help Possum out of the tree form the bulk of this simple tale, with Rabbit ultimately persuading Moose to help Possum climb downthe precise mechanics of this maneuver are left to readers' imaginationthus convincing Possum that the creature he had feared was in fact, not a monster trying to eat him. While logic is not necessarily the strong suit here (possums are naturally talented tree climbers) and a panicked possum would most likely fall into a catatonic stateplay dead, in other wordsnot bound up the nearest tree. No matter. Overly stylized, digitally colored illustrations in a muted palette do elevate this gentle friendship story. VERDICT In a field where tales of animal friends helping one another overcome difficulties are thick on the ground, this one is probably an additional purchase at best. Eileen Makoff, P.S. 90 Edna Cohen School, NY