The Party and Other Stories (Fox & Chick Series #1)

by Sergio Ruzzier

Overview

Fox and Chick don't always agree. But Fox and Chick are always friends. With sly humor and companionable warmth, Sergio Ruzzier deftly captures the adventures of these two seemingly opposite friends. The luminous watercolor images showcased in comic-book panel form will entice emerging readers, while the spare text and airiness of the images make this early chapter book accessible to a picture book audience as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452174396
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	04/17/2018
Series:	Fox & Chick Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	56
File size:	38 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sergio Ruzzier is a Sendak Fellow whose work has been lauded by the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, and the Society of Publication Designers. Born in Milan, Italy, he now makes his home in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

…shows that friendship can be challenging as well as comforting. Ruzzier… has created a pair who seem to have nothing in common. Chick is a wacky little narcissist ping-ponging around the page; Fox is the fond, amused straight man…It's [an easy] book for newly independent readers to enjoy solo, and I suspect they'll read it again and again. The minimal, deadpan text is entirely written in white-space-framed panels with word-balloon dialogue, and like Ruzzier's clean, deceptively simple visual style, it goes down easy.

The New York Times Book Review - Marjorie Ingall

03/05/2018
Ruzzier (This Is Not a Picture Book!) kicks off a new comics-style early-chapter series, drawn with panels and dialogue balloons and starring an animal odd couple. Fox is an even-tempered reader, cook, and artist; Chick is a pain in the neck. In the first and funniest chapter, Chick asks Fox if he may use his bathroom, and then proceeds to throw a party in it (the “CRASH! THUD! SPLASH!” tips off Fox). Chapter two gets a little dark as Chick, who initially criticizes the vegetarian Fox for not being “a real fox,” suddenly realizes that his soup-making friend is actually doing him a favor by not eating him. Chapter three centers on Chick’s inability to sit still for a portrait. The root of their friendship remains an enigma—why does Fox tolerate such an annoying friend? But there’s an easygoing, reassuring rhythm to the storytelling, and the simple text and sunny colors should engage nascent readers. Ages 5–8. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor

NPR Best Books of the Year

New York Times Notable Children's Book

Boston Globe Best Book of the Year

Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

The Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Best Book of the Year

Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

★ "Three stories well suited to both reading newcomers and not-yet-reading listeners." —The Horn Book Magazine,
starred review

★ "The winning combination of Ruzzier's signature ink-and-watercolor illustrations and humor in an easy reader/comic format is guaranteed to garner fans." —School Library Journal, starred review

"A fun, simple, yet sophisticated collection about a friendship between two very different characters." —Kirkus Reviews

"A subtle lesson, couched in humor: We can be friends with people who aren't just like us." —The New York Times

"A worthy heir to the classic Frog And Toad or Elephant Piggie early readers, these playful vignettes have a subversive sense of humor that never becomes mean-spirited."—NPR

"Emergent readers (and lap-sit listeners) will gleefully appreciate the bonhomie of this "frenemy" tale." —The San Francisco Chronicle

"There's an easygoing, reassuring rhythm to the storytelling, and the simple text and sunny colors should engage nascent readers." —Publishers Weekly

"This charmer blends graphic-novel and early-reader conventions for young readers not quite ready to tackle chapter books." —Booklist

"Brilliant. Sure to be a favorite for reading aloud or as an easy reader." —Imagination Soup

"Calm Fox and irrepressible Chick make a delightfully funny duo, and Ruzzier captures that perfectly in text and expressive, relatable illustrations. With vast appeal, this series debut will delight younger kids." —Books to Borrow, Books to Buy



Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor

NPR Best Books of the Year

New York Times Notable Children's Book

Boston Globe Best Book of the Year

Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

The Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Best Book of the Year

Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

★ "Three stories well suited to both reading newcomers and not-yet-reading listeners." —The Horn Book Magazine,
starred review

★ "The winning combination of Ruzzier's signature ink-and-watercolor illustrations and humor in an easy reader/comic format is guaranteed to garner fans." —School Library Journal, starred review

"A fun, simple, yet sophisticated collection about a friendship between two very different characters." —Kirkus Reviews

"A subtle lesson, couched in humor: We can be friends with people who aren't just like us." —The New York Times

"A worthy heir to the classic Frog And Toad or Elephant Piggie early readers, these playful vignettes have a subversive sense of humor that never becomes mean-spirited."—NPR

"Emergent readers (and lap-sit listeners) will gleefully appreciate the bonhomie of this "frenemy" tale." —The San Francisco Chronicle

"There's an easygoing, reassuring rhythm to the storytelling, and the simple text and sunny colors should engage nascent readers." —Publishers Weekly

"This charmer blends graphic-novel and early-reader conventions for young readers not quite ready to tackle chapter books." —Booklist

"Brilliant. Sure to be a favorite for reading aloud or as an easy reader." —Imagination Soup

"Calm Fox and irrepressible Chick make a delightfully funny duo, and Ruzzier captures that perfectly in text and expressive, relatable illustrations. With vast appeal, this series debut will delight younger kids." —Books to Borrow, Books to Buy

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—This easy reader—style picture book is actually three stories in one and stars two lovable and very different best friends. In "The Party," Fox is trying to read while Chick repeatedly interrupts him and requests to use his bathroom, where he proceeds to throw a raucous shindig with some other party animals. In "Good Soup," Fox digs in his garden accompanied by an indignant Chick who reminds Fox at each turn that he is supposed to be a carnivore, not a veggie-lover. In a fun twist, Chick eventually remembers that foxes are also "supposed" to eat little birds, and is glad that his friend breaks the norm. Finally in "Sit Still," Fox is painting a landscape when Chick buzzes by and offers to sit for a portrait. Chick has a long list of needs that prevent him from being able to pose, so Fox happily paints the landscape after all. In each story, Chick is the comic relief to Fox's straight man. Chick takes everything literally, while Fox plays the role of grumpy, but secretly genial, next-door neighbor. Pleasant and cartoonish pastel panels add to this enjoyable read. In the tradition of Frog and Toad and Elephant and Piggie, Fox and Chick will feel right at home in company of these other friendship tales. VERDICT Simple vocabulary, dialogue-only text, and situational comedy make this a winning choice as a confidence booster for children just learning to read. Recommended for picture book collections.—Lauren Younger, formerly at NYPL

School Library Journal

2018-03-04
Irrepressible Chick and his laid-back pal Fox star in three illustrated stories for new readers.Through the use of panels that vary from four to a page to double-page spreads, this lovely early reader has the feel of a graphic novel, allowing its clever stories to move easily across the pages. In the first, title story, Chick invites a bevy of animal friends into Fox's bathroom to swim and play. Then Chick questions Fox's habit of eating vegetables rather than the more common diet of small rodents, frogs, and (gulp) birds in the second, "Good Soup." Finally, in "Sit Still," Fox tolerantly paints his way through an afternoon of what is supposed to be antsy Chick's sitting for a portrait, only to emerge in the end with a landscape. Some of the understated humor may be missed by the youngest readers, but the simple, repeated phrasing and dialogue featured in word balloons will keep them engaged. Interspersed throughout are wordless panels in which the vividly colored, soft-edged pen, ink, and watercolor artwork tells the story. This will have wide natural appeal for readers who know some words by sight and are looking to tackle a few that are a bit more complex ("supposed"; "landscape"; "portrait") and for established fans of Ruzzier's picture books.A fun, simple, yet sophisticated collection about a friendship between two very different characters. (Early reader. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews