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Summary
Summary
Cork is a short muskrat who can swim. Fuzz is a tall possum who can't. They are best friends. Cork wants to teach Fuzz how to swim, but Fuzz isn't so sure he wants to learn . . . . The funny story and adorable illustrations in this seventh Cork and Fuzz easy-to-read will delight beginning readers.
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 (3)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Chaconas and McCue have come through again with another sweet, slice-of-life story. The portrayal of young friendship is pitch-perfect, even though the friends happen to be a possum and a muskrat deliberating over whose house they will go to. Fuzz is afraid to swim and therefore unable to visit Cork, who lives in the middle of a pond. Cork is afraid to climb trees and therefore unable to visit Fuzz. An ingenious plan sends Fuzz out on a tree limb with hopes of lowering himself onto Cork's little island, but a mishap lands him right in the water. Expressions of worry and concern are conveyed beautifully in McCue's endearing illustrations. Chaconas provides a heartwarming model for friends of all ages who need to be there for one another in times of crisis but, more importantly, to negotiate and compromise on the smaller issues of everyday life.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Opposites attract, but can they remain friends? In this latest installment of the friends' adventures, Cork (a muskrat) realizes that Fuzz (a possum) has never been to his house. "'I cannot go to your house,' [Fuzz] said. 'I do not know how to swim.'" Eager to overcome this obstacle, Cork gives a noticeably fearful Fuzz lessons by simulating swimming on the ground. Still afraid, Fuzz decides to climb a tree and "jump down right on top of your house." Fuzz falls in the water and, after a moment of panic, swims to Cork's. He then vows to turn the tables by teaching Cork to climb. Although muskrats don't typically climb and possums don't jump, Chaconas is clearly using these animals as stand-ins for children reluctant to take chances. But don't be too hard on her science; frogs and toads don't make chocolate-chip cookies, either (Frog and Toad Together, rev. 6/72). Sentence wraps indicate a book for those beginning readers with some experience; the preponderance of sight words eases the task. McCue's happy-go-lucky characters receive a lot of visual face time, showing both the action and the bond between the two. betty carter (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Possum Fuzz and muskrat Cork are at odds over Fuzz's reluctance to visit Cork's house "in the middle of a pond" in this early-reader series entry.Cork offers to teach Fuzz how to swim, but after a lesson on land pretending to paddle through tickly grasses, Fuzz declares, "Swimming is not a possum thing to do." He decides to climb out on a branch over the pond to jump down on Cork's house, and Cork can barely watch as Fuzz gingerly makes his way along the branchwhich ends up being a bit short. Startled by a bird, Fuzz falls into the water. Cork immediately dives in, and, in controlled text that ingeniously repeats words introduced earlier, he implores his friend to "paddle" and "kick." Safe and sound at book's end, the friends delight in Fuzz's swimming skills as Cork mulls over an offer of tree-climbing lessons. Throughout, Chaconas expertly controls and repeats vocabulary, delivering a tightly paced, engaging story arc over four brief chapters. McCue's accompanying illustrations, reminiscent of Garth Williams' use of line to create visual texture, strike a fine balance between echoing key textual events and terms and extending the narrative.This swimming lesson will make learning to read a pleasure. (Early reader. 6-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
