The Great Fuzz Frenzy

Ages 3-7

The Great Fuzz Frenzy is wonderfully kooky. A tennis ball rolls down into a prairie dog den, first confounding its residents, who then decide to use its fuzz to adorn themselves. The Great Fuzz Frenzy commences and all hell breaks loose. The illustrations are hilarious and the vocabulary is expressive.

The story of The Great Fuzz Frenzy actually starts on the endpapers and title page as we see Violet, a dog, drop her tennis ball down a prairie dog hole. While readers will recognize the fuzzy ball for what it is, the prairie dogs have no idea what this strange object is or does, until Pip Squeak, the smallest prairie dog gets up the courage to touch it and brings away a bit of fuzz starting the frenzy. Refreshingly this does not become a story of how the somewhat bullying Big Bark gets his comeuppance, but how he finds a good place in the prairie dog community. The illustrations of the prairie dogs dressed up in fuzz are priceless; Crummel produced them using mixed media on watercolor paper. While the fold out horizontally oriented show more spreads evoke how deep the prairie dog warren is, they make this a difficult story time choice as the book will need to be reoriented several times. The text which is both funny and well-suited to being read aloud with plenty of rhymes and alliteration makes reading the story aloud worth the extra effort. The final endpaper of Violet with another tennis ball, this one orange, could be a great opening to get kids discussing what they think will happen if she drops this one down the prairie dog hole. show less

Who thinks about what happens to a tennis ball when a dog misplaces it? Thankfully, Janet Stevens did! Take that one step further, and throw in a colony of prairie dogs, and The Great Fuzz Frenzy happens. This funny, creative tale not only teaches readers how to embrace individuality, but it also encourages inquiry and looking at the world around us in a different, more meaningful way.

One of my favorites for SO many reasons! Janet Stevens lives here in Colorado and was inspired to write this book because of all the prairie dogs around us here! She imagined what would happen if her dog's ball accidently fell down a prairie dog hole while playing a game of fetch! I love the creativity that is in this book! I love the imagination of the prairie dogs and the lesson that is learned at the end by the big, mean prairie dog! I also love how they used teamwork to save the big meanie, Big Bark, at the end. There's also lots of inferring that takes place as you read... especially at the end with the final illustration of Violet the dog! LOVE!

Violet, the dog, accidentally drops her tennis ball down a prairie dog hole. Imagine the horror and fear when a great big round fuzzy green thing lands smack dab in the middle of their home. They're not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing until little Pip Squeak takes matters into his own hands and touches the ball. A tiny piece of fuzz gets caught in his claw and suddenly everyone wants a piece of the fuzz. A frenzy starts and doesn't stop until all the fuzz is gone from the ball. Suddenly everyone is arguing about who has the fuzz and who doesn't until they are exhausted and fall asleep. When they wake up all their fuzz is gone and they accuse each other of taking it. Big Bark, the bossy prairie-dog, was the one who took it and show more they all chase him out of the tunnel. Just then an eagle swoops down and takes him away. The other prairie-dogs, now that they are faced with a real danger, tell Big Bark to wiggle free and they will catch him. All is resolved successfully when they decide that they don’t need any more fuzz. The last page, which does not have any text, shows Violet the dog with another tennis ball, this time orange, looking ready to drop it down the hole.
This is a wonderfully original story that the author talks about on the book flap. The illustrations are hilarious and makes you want to grab all the green fuzz that you can find and drape it all over. I especially liked the front and back end paper illustrations, first showing Violet with a green tennis ball and then at the end showing Violet with an orange tennis and a few prairie-dogs popping up out of their tunnels. show less

The kids I have read this to (ages 3 1/2 to 5) loved it, and have asked for it again and again. They talk about the social issues, selfishness, taking care of others even when they haven't always been nice. They have also discussed what might happen the next time a tennis ball gets dropped in the tunnel. I'll continue to use it as a starting point for discussion, as well as just a good read.

A peaceful prairie dog community is turned upside down when a mysterious tennis ball is dropped into their burrow, and its fashionable fuzz becomes all the rage. Love, love, love this book. A funny tale with laugh-out-loud illustrations and a lot going on beneath the surface.