Fly Possum Fly

Or, “The Year My Dad’s Possums Really Saved Christmas”

Grant Maloy Smith

Fly Possum Fly or, “The Year My Dad’s Possums Really Saved Christmas”

by Grant Maloy Smith copyright ©2018 Grant Maloy Smith All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents, except where noted otherwise, are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any other resemblance to actual people, places or events is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any other form or for any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage system, without written permission from Headline Books.

To order additional copies of this book, or for book publishing information, or to contact the author: Headline Kids P. O. Box 52 Terra Alta, WV 26764 Email: mybook@headlinebooks.com www.headlinebooks.com Ashley Teets—Art Director Lucas Kelly—Design/Layout Published by Headline Books Headline Kids is an imprint of Headline Books ISBN-13: 9781946664341

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018943215

PR I N T E D I N T H E U N I T E D STAT E S OF A M E R IC A

This book is dedicated to my now grown children, Taylor, Katherine and Alec.

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One Christmas Eve he won’t forget Old Santa nearly pitched a fit When Rudolph came down with the flu Well, he got weak and he turned blue Reindeer cried and whinnied On that rooftop in Virginee And it looked like Santa Claus was really through.

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My dad climbed up the ladder He said “Nick, that just don’t matter...

I’ve got some friends with poor eyesight, But they can guide your sleigh all right.”

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“Even if it’s snowing just point them where you’re going I’ll hook you up a passel here tonight.”

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Fly possum fly Lift old Santa to the sky Get those bags of toys to everyone!

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Fly possum fly Nature’s clean-up crew on high You’ve got EIGHT more hours to get it done.

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With curly tails and pointed snouts Fifty teeth in little mouths They flew all night from hill to dale Delivering their special mail.

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Jacks and Jills and Joeys Spurred by Santa’s ho-ho-hoing with true blue possum hearts they could not fail.

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Fly possum fly Lift old Santa to the sky Get those bags of toys to every one!

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Fly possum fly Nature’s clean-up crew on high You’ve got SIX more hours to get it done.

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From Illinois to Tennessee From Muscle Shoals to Abilene They flew all night on stardust tracks With babies on their mothers’ backs.

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Fly possum fly Lift old Santa to the sky Get those bags of toys to everyone!

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Fly possum fly Nature’s clean-up crew on high You’ve got FOUR more hours to get it done.

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Fly possum fly Lift old Santa to the sky Get those bags of toys to everyone!

Fly possum fly Nature’s clean-up crew on high You’ve got TWO more hours to get it done.

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So now you know the skinny That right here in Virginee We saved Christmas Eve and that’s a fact!

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Possum Facts!

1.

Possums don’t have great eyesight or hearing, but their sense of smell is amazing.

2. A “Passel” is a group of possums.

3. The Virginia Possum is the only marsupial in North America.

4. Because they eat almost everything, possums help to clean up the outdoors!

5. With 50 teeth, possums have more teeth than any other mammal!

6. Like their marsupial cousin the kangaroo, male possums are called Jacks, females are called Jills, and babies are called Joeys.

7. Possums are nocturnal animals, which means they sleep during the day and are awake all night.

8. Baby possums live in their mother’s pouch for two months, and then they get to ride on her back!

9. Possums have thumbs just like people except they are on their back feet!

10. Possum can also be spelled Opossum...

But the “O” is silent.

11. Possums are immune to nearly all poisonous snake bites. Lucky!

12. When born, baby possums are as small as a honeybee!

13. Possums’ tails help them to climb, but they don’t sleep hanging from them.

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Possums to the rescue! A sick reindeer can’t finish the Christmas Eve deliveries with Santa, so possums step up to save the day.

Fly Possum Fly is singer/songwriter Grant Maloy Smith’s first children’s book. With easy-to-read text and colorful illustrations, it is perfect for young children who are just learning to read, and even has Possum Facts about this amazing animal!

“Who doesn't love possums? Fly Possum Fly is a fun book with charming illustrations that will entertain readers of all ages.”

—Thane Maynard, Director of the Cincinnati Zoo, host of NPR’s The 90-Second Naturalist and author of Saving Fiona: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Baby Hippo “I loved it! The pictures are really cool, but my favorite part of the book is the Possum Facts! I learned so many new things about these marsupials.”

—Daliyah Marie Arana (age 7), children’s literacy advocate; Featured on CBS, ABC and NBC News, and NBC’s Little Big Shots Grant Maloy Smith is a Billboard Top 10 Country/ Roots musician who has performed all over the world—from Nashville to London, and even New York City’s famous Carnegie Hall. He was inspired to write a song about possums saving Christmas after appearing on The Tim White Bluegrass Show in eastern Tennessee.

An avid artist before he turned to music, Grant enjoyed doing the illustrations for this book, and took great care to bring personality and humor to the characters in the book.

Photo by F. A nderson

“...a diverse Christmas story that will be loved across generations for its uniqueness and simple humor... provides opportunities for audience participation with fun repeated verses, discussions on informative possum facts, and a chance to demonstrate expressive reading with a twang.”

—Diane Marx, 2018 Virginia Reading Teacher of the Year

Fly Possum Fly is also a song written

by Grant Maloy Smith, which he recorded as a duet with EmiSunshine.

You can listen to it for free at www.grant-maloy-smith.com/possum Rising teen country star EmiSunshine has been singing and writing songs since she was a young girl in eastern Tennessee, and has performed her blend of Americana, Bluegrass, Gospel, and Country music all over the world. She has been compared to a younger version of Iris DeMent, Natalie Maines, Nanci Griffith and Janis Joplin. Her appearances have included NBC’s The Today Show, Little Big Shots, and the Grand Ole Opry.

Grant Maloy Smith