Fox and Fluff

Shutta Crum

1 Babysitting Success!
This is an adorable picture book. I was babysitting for a very restless four-year-old and was having difficulty getting him to sleep. I took out of stack of books to calm him down and he picked this one up right away. After reading this story, he insisted that I read it again! I ended up reading it to him three times, and he said he enjoyed it much more than the other books we had read that night. When he was leaving, he asked me, "Could you please order that book for me?!" Shutta Crum has a very special talent as an author, and does an excellent job writing for the young audience of 'Fox and Fluff'.

2 The Tale of an Unlikely Pair.....
"One evening a little white egg bounced off a farm cart and cracked open. Out hatched a fluffy round chick, just as Fox was coming along the path. Fox thought, What's this? A snack! Chick thought, Who's this? Papa?" So begins Shutta Crum's heartwarming story of an unlikely duo. Fox can't eat someone who calls him Papa, so he tries to lose this little feathered pest, but Fluff is attached to his big, strong "Papa", and every time Fox turns around, there's Fluff tagging right along. All the animals in the forest find this situation hysterical. Poor Fox is losing his vicious reputation, the rabbit, mouse and frog aren't afraid of him anymore, and so he does the only thing he can think of to get out of this awkward Papa situation. He takes Fluff to the farm and leaves him at the henhouse. Fox thought life without Fluff would set everything right again. But he didn't count on missing the little fellow..... Ms Crum's gentle text begs to be read aloud and shared, and is rich in wit, humor, and energy. John Bendall-Brunello's captivating illustrations are bold, bright, and expressive, and each page is filled with endearing characters and playful details. With its clever happily-ever-after ending, Fox And Fluff is an engaging preschool crowd-pleaser that shouldn't be missed, and works well with Judy Hindley's Do Like A Duck Does.

3 F is for FUN!
Fox is the biggest, baddest guy on the block...until fiesty Fluff hatches, imprints on Fox, and starts emulating his reluctant father figure. Peep by peep, Fluff chirps his way into Fox's heart...and the reader's! It's hard to find books that support a vegetarian lifestyle without bopping you over the head with their message, but this is one vegetarian book you can sink your teeth into. WIth adorable art by John Bendall Brunello, this story is destined to become a favorite for meat and plant eaters, alike!

4 There's hardly any fluff in it!
Shutta Crum's at it again, and this time - with Fox and Fluff - she's already earned The Oppenheim Group Plantinum Medal for it!

Fox and Fluff is a fun read for 3-8 year olds. This is a story about a not so tough fox and a motherless chick; naturally the wise Fox adopts Fluff - the cuddly chick and all works out after a nearly disasterous adventure. The Oppenheims are right; our 3 and 6 year olds both were held by the natural, rhythmic flow of this story. Of course, the 3 year old kept asking questions about why Fox did this, why Fluff didn't have a mother, etc. That is just all the more reason to share this beautiful little tale that is wonderfully illustrated with youngsters.

What a delight it is to see each of Crum's now three published books reach out and catch and hold children. And she has several more scheduled out in the coming months! Once you pick it up you'll want to share it, and once a youngster hears it or reads it they'll want to enjoy it again. Yes, the most critical panel has resistered - the kids like Fox and Fluff. Yours will too. This is a must have in the home, in the classroom, in the library collection. Look forward to Crum's next book due early in the spring!