Two Fuzz Balls Meet in the Woods

Cork & Fuzz

Written by Dori Chaconas

Illustrated by Lisa McCue

Penguin Group, 2006

 29 pages

Fantasy

            Ok.  I can’t believe I am going to write this, but “I love possums.”  Ok, there.  I said it…well, typed it.  Technically, I should probably say that I love opossums, but since the author uses the word, possum and I grew up knowing the little critters as possums, that’s the terminology I’ll use.  Regardless of spelling or technical terminology, my love of possums is why I checked this book out.  I saw the cute furry little possum on the front cover and could not contain myself.  This book is about two friends, a muskrat named Cork and a possum named Fuzz.  The two do everything together but grow.  This bothers Cork terribly, so he tries to figure out a way for Fuzz to shrink.  It does not work.  Fuzz suggests that maybe Cork could grow, but no luck there either.  I won’t spoil the story for you, but I think you’ll enjoy one of my favorite quotations from the book, “Just like two nuts.”

            The illustrations in Cork & Fuzz are cartoon water colors that make the possum and muskrat look fuzzy.  The characters have soft faces and expressions.  The use of green, brown, grey and blue really appeal to the eye.  The reader will not have to strain to read the book.  The type is placed on some pages with the illustrations and on the opposite pages of illustrations on others.

            A first or second grade reader will enjoy this book.  The book is broken into chapters but basically reads like most pictures books.  A young reader would enjoy having the book read aloud while looking at the pictures.  I would use this book in a lesson about analysis.  Specifically, students can compare and contrast the differences between the animals.  In a language arts lesson, I would also ask older students to do a journal entry about how Cork and Fuzz are similar to them and their friends.  Science lessons on mammals, muskrats and possums would work well with this book.  A great social studies lesson could also examine friendship and the ways we treat each other.  Among other awards, this first in the Cork & Fuzz series won the Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book 2005 and the 2008-2009 Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award.