New Releases by Dori Chaconas

"When Cork tries to boss Fuzz into helping him clean up, both friends learn how to work--and play--together"--

Celebrate ten years of this popular easy-to-read series with the best friends'' first-ever picture book--a lovely holiday tale. Cork the muskrat knows there’s something special about today, but he just can’t figure out what it is. So he and his best friend, the possum Fuzz, go on a search to find a tree for a little “piece of quiet,” so they can think about what makes this day so special. But the first tree has too many birds, and the next has too many squirrels--they''re not quiet at all! At last, when the snow begins to fall, Cork and Fuzz find the perfect place to rest their heads: under a lovely outdoor Christmas tree. In the end, Cork realizes what makes this day so special is that he is “in a beautiful place with my friend.”

Cork is a short muskrat who knows how to wait, and Fuzz is a tall possum who doesn’t like to wait for anything. When a round, yellow object floats through the sky, both Cork and Fuzz chase after it. Is it the sun? Is it an egg? Wait a minute—did it just pop? A funny, charming, easy-to-read story about the adventures of two best friends who go together perfectly—differences and all.

Cork is a muskrat who likes small, safe adventures. Fuzz is a possum who likes big, exciting adventures. Fuzz convinces Cork to go with him on a snowy exploration, but Cork is scared of the big animals they might encounter. When Fuzz pretends he has seen a dangerous animal, he only makes Cork more scared. Then, like the Boy Who Cried Wolf, Fuzz really does run into a big animal—a puppy! Both friends discover how brave they really are, and learn when it is and isn’t okay to fool someone you care about.

Originally published: Morton Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman, 2008.

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?

Cork is a short muskrat who likes to find things. Fuzz is a tall possum who likes to keep things. Fuzz wants to keep Cork''s lost stone when he finds it. But a chipmunk runs away with it. Who will say "finders keepers" now?

Cork the muskrat wants his best friend Fuzz, a possum, to visit his home, but first he must teach Fuzz to swim and not be afraid of the water.

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 ÒstoneÓ from a duckÕs nest and, in turn, the mama duck tries to collect him. Will Cork be able to save his friend?

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?

That Blessed Christmas Night is the story of the first Christmas night told in poetry form. The wonder of the first Christmas is seen through the eyes of children reenacting the story. The simple things of earth - the clear, starry sky; a humble stable filled with animals; shepherds caring for their sheep - suddenly become bolder, clearer, and richer as the children don costumes and sing their praises to the Child.

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.

A cumulative, rhyming tale of a slamming door which wakes a cat, setting into motion an absurd chain of events and resulting in chaos.

Follows the seasons in the first year of a baby''s life.

When the wind blows her hat into a sycamore tree, Virginnie, determined to retrieve it, tries to dislodge it by throwing her boots up one after the other, unaware of the threatening swamp creatures gathering behind her.

Coriander the contrary hen sits, refusing to move, in the middle of the road causing a traffic jam until one clever little girl comes up with a solution.