THE GREAT BUNK BED BATTLE

Two fox kits aren’t ready for bed yet in this early reader by a Geisel Medal honoree.

Gray fox Fritz and red fox Franny are enthusiastic playmates: eager to build, to explore—and to avoid bedtime. Their story is divided into three parts, and while each could be read alone, they flow well as one narrative. In “Ready for Bed,” Fritz and Franny rambunctiously prepare for bedtime (“I can brush my teeth faster than you!” Franny boasts as water, toothpaste, and foam spill everywhere) and have a “good-night dance party” despite their caregivers’ best efforts to settle them down. In “My Bunk Is Better,” Fritz and Franny compare and contrast their top and bottom bunk beds while pretending the furniture is a treehouse and cave, a ship, a submarine, and so on. In “Let’s Trade?” the duo swap beds as each tries to prove that their respective bunk is better. Kügler seamlessly weaves repeated words and phrases into the story, so as readers enjoy Fritz and Franny’s antics, they will expand their vocabularies and build reading confidence without feeling as though they are practicing. Kügler expertly uses character-associated colors and a vertical page layout to foster visual literacy and provide visual clues for readers. The majority of the text is in speech balloons.

A rollicking romp for new readers.