Short and Tall (Cork and Fuzz) - Hardcover

Chaconas, Dori

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670059854 ISBN 13: 9780670059850

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers, 2006

Synopsis

Even though Cork is a short muskrat and Fuzz is a tall possum, they can still be best friends. Or can they? "I am older," Cork said. "I need to be taller. It is a rule." Can friendship break such rules?

The gentle, humorous story in this second Cork & Fuzz title will captivate beginning readers, while the charming illustrations add just enough visual cues to help them along.

About this title

About the Author:

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.

From School Library Journal:

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, MI
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About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0670059854
• ISBN 13: 9780670059850
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: McCue Lisa