Short and Tall (Cork and Fuzz)
Kindergarten-Grade 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, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.