Customer Reviews

Good Sports (Cork and Fuzz)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This story is about two young friends who are very different: a short muskrat (Cork) and a tall possum (Fuzz). Their personalities are quite different as well! It is stated right away that their similarities include playing games and enjoying winning. They race, play stickball and tackle ball. Fuzz is adroit and pushes the win. Cork feels awful. Cork proposes a swimming race, not knowing that Fuzz can't swim. Fuzz hides (claiming that he changed the rules to `hide and seek'). Cork thinks his friend has sunk into the water and is very sad. Fuzz is not a friend that I would like to have! Elements abound to assist a young reader become acclimated to books: simple dialog, onomatopoeia, words that are italicized, and even an ellipsis. Enhanced by colorful, expressive and highly enjoyable illustrations, this is a welcome addition to Easy Reader selections in the library or at home.

This is a great book for children 6-9 who can learn about being good sports while having fun with friends. The text is at a level children will understand, and the illustrations are detailed. The animals don't wear clothing and are cute in their interactions that children will be able to relate to.

No doubt about it, Cork and Fuzz fans know that the muscrat and possum are best friends. But when the two play games together, who will be the winner? In Cork and Fuzz Good Sports, author Dori Chacanos cleverly gives the beginner chapter book reader a reason to read to the end. The heartwarming, action filled story helps them feel all the emotions that friends might experience when both want to win. Cork and Fuzz even invent their own games to be the winner! It's only when one friend seems gone forever that the two will eventually come back together and find the solution that will finally solve their "I always want to win" dilemma. You'll have to read for yourself to see the surprise ending. I'm not giving away any secrets here!
Lisa McCue's sweet illustrations perfectly compliment Ms Chacanos' story. I will eagerly pass this book on to one of my best friends!

Cork and Fuzz are back, and this time they're showing even more of their competitive natures. The friends desperately want to play active games together, but they have difficulty finding a game that matches them evenly. Fuzz, the opossum, is good at running. Cork, the muskrat, is good at swimming. Any game that involves those activities favors one animal over the other. Once again, our furry buddies learn more about themselves, about each other, about valuing differences, and about being polite. Lisa McCue's illustrations, as always, make you want to reach out and touch the textures. I thoroughly enjoy every Cork and Fuzz chapter-book adventure; and even though it's been DECADES since I came of chapter-book reading age, I think these characters will appeal to young readers as well.

I bought this book for my niece who is not such a great sport. Returned it because the story was NOT an appropriate way of teaching her how to be a good sport. In short, Cork keeps losing and finally gives up and says he's going home, Fuzz convinces him to compete one more time, Cork says he wants to race across the pond, Fuzz says he doesn't know how to swim, Cork doesn't hear Fuzz, swims across, cheers that he wins but realizes Fuzz isn't there. Cork starts to cry and says "My best friend has sunk". At the same time, Fuzz changed the game to hide and seek and when Cork finds him Fuzz says Cork wins. I believe that teaching a child to be a good sport by instilling fear about death/drowning is not appropriate and wish the editorial review did not sum up the resolution as "When the buddies realize that their friendship is at stake, they come up with a fun and clever compromise." But Amazon is great about returns so it's no big deal that I couldn't look through the book before buying it.