Cork and Fuzz by Dori Chaconas illustrated by Lisa McCue

"Do you know why I like you?' Cork said. 'Because you make me feel good in my heart and you always make me laugh."


Acceptance of difference + the fun of a playing together + team work =  FRIENDSHIP

Cork is a muskrat. He is short and he collects stones. Loves water. Slightly serious personality.
Fuzz is a possum. He is tall and he collects stones and lots of other things. Afraid of water. Can be a joker at times.

There are ten books in this delightful series. I have only read two but I am certain they would be the most perfect addition to any Primary School library. Each book has four short chapters, large print and very expressive illustrations.

Sadly quite a few are out of print but you might find them in a library. There are Kindle versions too. My lucky Teacher-Librarian friend found these two at a charity book sale today for fifty cents each! Here are all the titles:

I found a set of teaching notes for the first book - Best Friends. Read some review quotes on Dori's web page.

In their reviews Kirkus use words like "Sweet and funny"; "the evergreen theme of unlikely friendships"; these will make "learning to read a pleasure"; "illustrations reminiscent of Garth Williams"; "a simple sweet tale"; "timeless sensibility".

You can read more about each book here.

Blurb Book One Best Friends Cork is a muskrat. Fuzz is a possum. Cork eats only veggie stuff. Fuzz eats beetles and worms. Cork likes to play hide-and-seek. Fuzz likes to play find-and-eat. Cork and Fuzz have nothing in common. Or do they?

Blurb Book Two Short and Tall  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?

Blurb Book Three Good Sports  Cork is a short muskrat who likes to win at games. Fuzz is a tall possum who also likes to win at games. Two best friends. Both like to win. What will happen when they play games against each other?

Blurb Book Four The Collectors  Cork is a short muskrat who likes to collect shiny stones. Fuzz is a tall possum who also likes to collect shiny stones. Fuzz tries to collect a stone from a duck's nest and, in turn, the mama duck tries to collect him. Will Cork be able to save his friend?

I am really keen to read the Christmas picture book about this pair of odd ball friends:

Here are some other books (all simple beginner level like Cork and Fuzz) about unlikely friends. Their friendship also reminds me of the Toot and Puddle books.