CORK AND FUZZ

Cork, the short muskrat who collects shiny stones, and Fuzz, the tall possum who collects, well, most things, including feathers, return in a fourth easy reader. Their slightly rivalrous friendship—they spar a bit over the sizes and types of their collections—is further tested when they encounter some “green stones” near a pond. Owing to a feather wrapped in Fuzz’s tail, five hatching ducklings bond with the possum, and their returning mother duck “collects” him while hustling her brood back to the nest. After Cork finds a way to liberate Fuzz, the pair runs, flaps and quacks, “collecting laughs all the way home.” McCue’s charming pictures couple pastoral blues and greens of pond and meadow with wiry and shiny textures for Cork and Fuzz’s fur and tails. While plotting is slightly thinner than in previous outings, Chaconas has fun with the friends’ confusion as the busy ducklings overrun their nest. A welcome addition to a sweet, funny series. (Easy reader. 5-8)