Short and Tall

I read this aloud to my second graders as soon as I received it in the mail. We all loved it. My class said that I had to write a review for the book and to give it five stars. The characters and their friendship remind me a lot of the Frog and Toad series but with a lot of humor. My students and I laughed out loud at many of the events in the story. I am considering getting multiple copies to use for reading class in the future. I know second graders love the story.

This is the second chapter book featuring Cork, a small muskrat, and Fuzz, a tall possum. Just as in their first encounter, the two friends continue to discover their differences and to try to overcome them so that they can remain friends. This time, the issue is the relationship of height to age. Cork is older but Fuzz is taller, and that seems wrong. The two try to compensate by finding ways to make Cork taller or Fuzz smaller. None of their approaches seems to work, and their friendship appears to be doomed as a result -- until they realize by studying a pair of nuts (!) that it's perfectly all right for them to be different in this respect. Lisa McCue's illustrations bring the buddies to life and make otherwise awkward animals lovable. Dori Chaconas' dialogue is simple enough for young readers to handle, and it's interesting as well. "Cork and Fuzz: Short and Tall" will resound with those children who notice that they and their classmates are not growing at the same rate. This pair of animated characters will assure them that the situation is acceptable.