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Summary
Summary
Deep, deep down in their underground town, the prairie dogs live in harmony--until a mysterious, fluorescent, very fuzzy thing (otherwise known as a tennis ball) rolls down their hole. When the prairie dogs discover that they can pluck and pull the fuzz into fabulous fashions, their fear quickly turns to curiosity, then delight, then pure greed.
The frenzy that erupts threatens to tear apart the prairie-dog town forever. But when mean ol' Big Bark is kidnapped after taking all the fuzz for himself, the prairie dogs come to the rescue and remember the true meaning of community.
Author Notes
JANET STEVENS is the author and illustrator of many popular books for children. Her picture books have garnered awards: including a Caldecott Honor, a Texas Bluebonnet Award, and an American Booksellers Book of the Year Honor. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.
SUSAN STEVENS CRUMMEL is the author of a number of acclaimed picture books, many of which she's written with her sister, Janet Stevens.A former teacher, Ms. Crummel now spends her time writing and visiting schools as a guest author. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-It all begins innocently enough, when Violet the dog drops a fuzzy green tennis ball down a prairie-dog hole on the title page. When it finally lands deep in the underground tunnels, dozens of little dogs are gazing at it with trepidation. The biggest prairie dog of all, the bully Big Bark, comes to take a look, but before he can get close enough, Pip Squeak runs up to the ball and exclaims, "`It's fuzzy!'" "`Oooooooh!'" gasped the other dogs. Soon, they all begin adorning themselves with pieces of lime-green fuzz, ignoring Big Bark's commands that they stop this foolishness. Prairie dogs come from all over to help themselves until the ball is plucked bare. War breaks out, leaving Pip Squeak feeling rather guilty for starting it all. While the embattled dogs collapse in exhaustion, Big Bark steals all of the fuzz, proclaiming himself "king of the fuzz," which makes him an easy target for an eagle, who swoops down and grabs him. Pip Squeak rallies the others to come to Big Bark's aid. The marvelously rendered mixed-media illustrations, with vivid blues, earthy browns, and that luminescent green, capture the true fuzzy nature and greenish glow of the ball. As in the author's popular Tops and Bottoms (Harcourt, 1995), this book employs both horizontal and vertical spreads, effectively taking readers deep into the underground realm. A wonderful addition for storyhours, this title will be requested again and again.-Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The Stevens sisters (Cook-a-Doodle-Doo) prove that there's a lot of mileage to be gained from a wacky premise and some roly-poly prairie dogs. When Violet the pooch accidentally drops a tennis ball into a prairie-dog town, the rodents discover the malleable properties of the ball's light green fuzz and go wild: "They fuzzed their ears, their heads, their noses." In her full-bleed spreads (sometimes extending into a gatefold to play up the depth of the tunnels), Stevens likens the furry crowd to kids playing dress-up. The prairie dogs fashion Mohawks, tutus, superhero outfits and big fuzzy slippers from the stuff. Only one prairie dog seems immune: Big Bark, a blowhard with a bottle-cap hat. But Big Bark's disdain is just a front; when the other prairie dogs collapse from exhaustion ("Fuzzled out"), he steals all the fuzz-and turns himself into a blob of green that catches the eye of a prey-seeking eagle (in a bravura spread, its mass of black feathers morphs into a maelstrom of menace). Not surprisingly, the prairie dogs put aside their fuzz-based differences, and Big Bark finds a useful purpose for his belligerence. Stevens's watercolors make heroes of these curious critters. She plunges readers into an animated, earthy underworld, endows her furry cast with winning goofiness and turns the winged symbol of America into a figure of fear. Ages 3-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
When a dog drops a tennis ball down a prairie dog hole, the action begins: all the prairie dogs want a piece of the fuzz, though leader Big Bark warns them against it. Whimsical illustrations feature prairie dogs bedecked variously in the fuzz. The book's ending is slightly didactic, but the narrative nicely blends rhyme, alliteration, and other wordplay. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
What would happen if a dog of the canine persuasion were to drop a green tennis ball down a prairie dogs' burrow? Why, the prairies would pick it apart, fashion all sorts of finery out of its fuzz and then get territorial about it when neighboring prairie dogs demanded their share. It's inevitable that a frenzy would ensue. After rescuing one of their own from an eagle's clutches, the prairies in this story finally realize that fuzz just isn't worth it. But along comes Violet the mutt again, this time with a red tennis ball, and then. . . . The energetic art and layout are the real standouts in this cute yet thin story. The dogs--both of the canis and burrow varieties--are expressive and hilarious, and readers can open up double-paged spreads and occasionally turn the volume vertically, a Stevens trademark. Dramatic font changes and words like Swoop! and Boink! add to the read-aloud fun. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. Only the Stevens sisters could create such an over-the-top tale about fuzz. A big, red dog drops a green tennis ball down a prairie dog burrow, and a fuzz reaction erupts there. Everyone--except Big Bark--wants to twirl and swirl the stuff all over themselves, from head to toe. When the ball is plucked fuzzless, a fighting frenzy breaks out. After the feuding stops, the dogs discover Big Bark has snatched the goods and proclaimed himself King of the Fuzz, a title short-lived when a hungry eagle plucks him up for lunch. Never fear, however: Big Bark lives on to bark another day. The mixed-media illustrations are classic Stevens, with the book's oversize format providing wide-angle close-ups and a good platform for both horizontal and vertical foldouts. Big Bark's bottle-cap hat and the dogs' farcical expressions play up the humor in the text, but it's the textured, chartreuse fuzz that steals the show. This fun-filled story demands to be read aloud. --Julie Cummins Copyright 2005 Booklist