Up and Down and Other Stories, written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier. Chronicle Books for Children, Raincoast. 2022. $21.99 ages 3 and up

 

"Whew. 

Fox, the snowflakes are falling 
faster and faster. I could not 
count beyond seventeen. 

Chick, if you cannot count all 
the snowflakes, we might have 
enough snow to go sledding! 

Now we know, Fox:
We need at least 
seventeen snowflakes!"

If you regularly read this blog, you will have met Fox and Chick. They are the central characters in a splendid series of early readers by the wonderful Sergio Ruzzier. The other three books of short stories are: The Quiet Boat Ride (2019), The Party (2020), The Sleepover (2021). Each presents three short stories sure to entertain and entice young children to listen, and then want to read them independently. 

Fox and Chick are adventurous, supportive, funny, sometimes disagreeable, and forever friends. Chick is exuberant, while Fox is unflappable. Chick leaps before he looks, which is what gets him in trouble in the first of three scenarios in this new book. He has climbed a tree without considering how he will get down. Frightened and not wanting to be left alone, he is willing to stay up in the tree forever as long as Fox is nearby. Fox, after many hours of waiting, comes up with a solution, and praise for Chick's resolve. 

In the second, Chick is impatiently waiting for the seventeen snowflakes needed for the sledding season to start. Fox tries to reason with him, and finally agrees that seventeen were surely needed (as well as many, many more). Chick comes away from the experience feeling secure in the knowledge that he was right. Finally, an unexpected gift from Fox has Chick making guesses about what it might be. Those guesses are sure to have readers giggling out loud. 

"Is it four bags of 
potato chips? 
If it's four bags of 
potato chips, I have 
to remember to 
drink some water. 

Once, I almost choked because I ate
four bags of potato chips 
without drinking any water.

It's not potato chips, Chick. 

Huh."

The gift of a book requires a place to put it. So, Chick builds a bookcase. Fox wonders if it will be big enough should Chick gets more books. Chick enlists Fox's assistance for building a bigger one. Well done, Fox and Chick. 

Familiar characters and settings, humorous and heartfelt dialogue, and full-of-charm artwork provide another perfect invitation to the wonder of reading independently. What a ideal collection for someone you love!