There was a great old mulberry tree and some sturdy native trees next door to my family home. Sadly, the trees disappeared when the neighbour’s house was torn down to make way for a block of units.

Fond childhood memories of hunting for mulberries and playing hide-and-seek came flooding back when I read Susan Ramage’s poignant tale, The Urban Escapees, about a suburban boy’s bid to rescue a family of Brushtail possums threatened by urban development at the bottom of his garden.

People need a place to live, but so do the birds and bees that pollinate our lives and the flora that balances our environment and helps keep our air clean.

Through powerful story telling Susan Ramage has created a heart-warming tale that brings the big issues of urban creep and the subsequent destruction of our native flora and fauna into sharp focus.  She makes the complex dilemma of development versus diversity instantly accessible and understandable to young readers by earthing the issue in a simple grass-roots tale. You will instantly fall in love with the characters who are beautifully brought to life by Nettie Lodge’s illustrations.

“Educational and entertaining, thoughtful and fun.”

“In this delightful story, young readers enter the life of the Brushtail family. Possum Way is a joyful haven of bush and colour, where the possums live peacefully. But when bulldozers and cranes arrive, the Brushtails have to find a new home, and Louis, the boy who lives in the house at the top of the garden, needs to think quickly and come up with a plan. Can Louis save the Brushtails? The Urban Escapees invites questions about urbanisation and its impact on nature.”