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Summary
Summary
The friendship between Cork, a muskrat, and Fuzz, a possum, is in trouble when Cork decides that since he is older, he has to be taller than Fuzz
Author Notes
Dori Chaconas was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1938. The second child in a family of seven, Dori fell into the role of storyteller, nursery rhyme singer, and general entertainer for her siblings. She claims she learned about story pacing early. If the story action lagged, her fidgety audience would either scatter or start a poking war.
She has been married to Nick, her high school sweetheart, for 44 years. Everyone says the romance will last. They raised four daughters, and are now enjoying three grandsons--especially Grandpa, having been outnumbered by women all those years.
When their daughters were young, Dori wrote for them. She published three picture books and more than fifty stories in children's magazines. In the 70's, her interest turned to yarn embroidery design and she sold designs to major needlework companies and national magazines.
In 1997, Dori started writing stories again, partly to keep her grandsons from fidgeting or starting poking wars. Her stories reflect the warmth of family life. Dori gives credit to her parents for giving her a strong sense of family, and to her children and grandchildren for keeping it alive.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-A second beginning reader about the friendship between Cork, a muskrat, and Fuzz, a possum. Cork believes that something "is not right" because he is older, yet shorter than his friend. He asks Fuzz to walk on his knees and give up eating-painful strategies soon abandoned. Fuzz entreats Cork to grow by expanding his diet to include worms and hanging from a tree to stretch-unsuccessful propositions. Cork decides they must end this imbalanced friendship, causing Fuzz to shed tears, which fall on a large, wet nut. It lies next to a small, dry nut, and leads to the conclusion that "They are different-.But they are still nuts." Fuzz takes Cork to the edge of the pond to view their images and see that they are "Two best friends-short and tall together." Children will find comfort and delight in the bits of dialogue that reflect their own relationships. The first three chapters feature cliff-hanger endings to sustain appeal. McCue's illustrations capture just the right blend of pond-side realism and humanistic expression to enchant readers and extend the text. Add this to Arnold Lobel's "Frog and Toad" series (HarperCollins), Cynthia Rylant's "Poppleton" books (Scholastic), and Frank Asch's tales of Bear and Little Bird (S & S) for a friendship celebration.-Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(Primary) After reconciling the fact that they eat different things and may not have the same affinity for water sports (see last year's Cork & Fuzz), our heroes begin this second easy-reader entry in complete agreement: ""One short muskrat. One tall possum. Two best friends."" But their camaraderie is short-lived when they discover yet another a major obstacle -- their height. As Cork says, ""Something is not right.... I am older than you...but you are taller than me."" So, believing such a discrepancy is against the rules of friendship, they search for a way to make the height difference disappear, trying all manner of outlandish schemes, from Fuzz walking on his knees to Cork hanging from a branch in an attempt to stretch his short frame. Soft ink-and-watercolor illustrations reaffirm the sweet theme: friends don't have to be exactly alike. Short sentences carry the sounds of natural conversations; vocabulary is easily decodable with ample context and illustrative clues to help in the process; pictures convey the action; and the four chapters create natural stopping and starting places in the text. This soothing story will fit beginning readers well as they try out their newfound skills. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In this delightful second installment, Cork the muskrat and Fuzz the possum struggle to resolve differences that jeopardize their friendship. Cork, who is older, notices that Fuzz is taller. In the duo's childlike estimation, older equals taller--it's simply a rule. Comical attempts to make Fuzz shorter, then Cork, taller, convey just the right mix of earnest endeavor and endearingly silly misapprehension. Chaconas's text and characterizations hearken back to the best of Harper's I Can Read program, evoking in particular the measured dialogue and sweet illogic of Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad. In turn, McCue's ink-and-watercolor illustrations pay tribute to Garth Williams, even as they offer up a pleasingly fresh color palette and singularly apt depictions of two hairy pals from toe to tail. This laugh-out-loud treat never falls short. (Easy reader. 5-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. Like Cork & Fuzz (2004) in the Viking Easy-to-Read series, this chapter book featuring the muskrat Cork and the possum Fuzz is about two friends who look different but have a lot in common. Small, bossy Fuzz tries to make the friends the same. Maybe tall Cork should stop eating, or walk on his knees. Maybe Fuzz could stretch and grow bigger. McCue's warm ink-and-watercolor illustrations, with lots of delicate line details, show the characters' furry bodies, the stand-offs, and, finally, the hugs of the two best friends, short and tall together. In the tradition of Arnold Lobel's classic Frog and Toad books and other animal friendship stories, this will please new readers and also make a cozy read-aloud. Preschoolers will especially relate to the small critter who wants to take charge. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2006 Booklist