Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Scholastic Inc.
Pages
56
Description
When a tennis ball lands in a prairie dog town, the residents find that their newfound frenzy for fuzz creates a fiasco.
Description
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. Will the frenzy that erupts tear apart the prairie-dog town forever. Or will the kidnapping of mean ol' Big Bark trigger the prairie dogs to come to his rescue and remember the true meaning of community?
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
56 p.; 9.4 x 9 inches
ISBN
0439023092 / 9780439023092
Similar in this library
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Lexile
420L
User reviews
LibraryThing member biblio_girl
When a tennis ball falls into a prairie dog hole the prairie dogs get obsessed with the green fuzz all over it.
LibraryThing member adge73
I love Janet Stevens' illustrations generally, and, here, the bright green fuzz against the prairie dogs is striking and funny -- but this story is just so... obvious. It's silly, it says, for prairie dogs to fight over green fuzz. The metaphor's just so obvious. Add in gate-fold pages that will be
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destroyed within a year or two, and I feel disinclined to invest in it for the library. Stick with Stevens' perfect illustrations in To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda and the Anansi stories by Eric Kimmel. Show Less
LibraryThing member Omrythea
When a tennis ball falls down a prairie dog hole, fights ensue as all the prairie dogs try to get some fuzz of their own.
LibraryThing member jeriannthacker
Hilarious and imaginative tale about a dog dropping a tennis ball into a prairie dog hole and all the uses they can give it.
LibraryThing member mr_rhumba
Prairie dogs and tennis ball fuzz...a great combination.
LibraryThing member poolays
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
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tunnel. I'll continue to use it as a starting point for discussion, as well as just a good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member crdutton
The Great Fuzz Frenzy is such a fun childrens book. Students love this book because it is so funny and it makes them laugh. This book deals with a tennis ball rolling down into a prarie dog den. The dogs are so confused and have no idea what this thing is (the tennis ball). They play with it, tear
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it apart, and soon green fuzz is everywhere. They begin to fight over the fuzz! The unliked dog steals the green fuzz and says he is king, but when he does he gets swooped away by a hawk. The dogs decide that they can not let him be taken away, so they save him. This teaches a good lesson of friendship and caring for others, no matter how much we like them. Show Less
LibraryThing member susanmartling
In this circular tale, a group of adorable prairie dogs are confronted with challenges around bullying, sharing, limited resources. Janet Stevens tells the story with an abundance of alliteration, repetition, rhyme and simile while the illustrations render the prairie dogs surprisingly "readable"
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by the expressions they display. The book also employs a fun vertical format. This is a great book for discussing the lesson in the story , and also to spark a discussion about attributes (when all the prairie dogs have different ideas about what exactly the fuzz is). It also includes a great character description of Big Bark, which could be the basis of a character trait lesson. Show Less
LibraryThing member stuwilab
This story should definitely be a read-aloud!
Have students practice pre-reading strategies (predicting, what do you already know, etc.) Have them revise predictions as the story is read.
During reading, have students look for examples of alliteration, onomatopoeia, and similes.
Students could write a
Have students create their own fuzzy outfit for a prairie dog. Then write a story based on their prairie dog character.
Suggest to students who are having difficulty sharing (playground equipment, classroom materials, etc.) Students who like humorous books and animal lovers would also enjoy this book.
Have students practice pre-reading strategies (predicting, what do you already know, etc.) Have them revise predictions as the story is read.
During reading, have students look for examples of alliteration, onomatopoeia, and similes.
Students could write a
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sequel to this story using the very last picture in the book (Violet the dog with an orange ball.)Have students create their own fuzzy outfit for a prairie dog. Then write a story based on their prairie dog character.
Suggest to students who are having difficulty sharing (playground equipment, classroom materials, etc.) Students who like humorous books and animal lovers would also enjoy this book.
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LibraryThing member untitled841
A different spin on what happens when a dog loses its tennis ball.
LibraryThing member ReadAloudDenver
Violet the dog accidentally drops a tennis ball into a prairie dog hole. The book shows how fear of the unknown causes the prairie dogs to behave. This book is rich in new vocabulary words like perfectly still, boomed, meanest, growled, half-pint, hamster, gasped, ridiculous, rodents, foolishness,
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tugged, spiked, fluffed, freaks, frilly, abuzz, paraded, fandangle, fiesta, frenzy, dangling and talons. Show Less
LibraryThing member mrcmyoung
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.
LibraryThing member Kathdavis54
This is a very fun story about sharing. When prairie dogs find a tennis ball they all fight over the fuzz and one dog becomes greedy. What follows is a story of sharing and forgiveness. The pictures illustrate the story perfectly.
LibraryThing member michelleraphael
Awesome!! The Great Fuzz Frenzy is an amazingly funny book. Also it teaches an important lesson that fuzz such never come between friends and family. :)
LibraryThing member theCajunLibrarian
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
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encourages inquiry and looking at the world around us in a different, more meaningful way. Show Less
LibraryThing member MeghanOsborne
Summary:
One sunny afternoon, a dog drops a tennis ball into a prairie dog hole. A small prairie dog named Pip Squeak touches the fuzz, and realizes that it can be torn off, and even better, it can be worn! Eventually the fuzz runs out causing panic in the prairie dog community. They prairie dogs
My Personal Reaction:
This book is difficult not to love between the adorable illustrations of the prairie dogs and the indiscreet message about sharing with those around us. I thought this book was a very fun read for primary grades. It is actually very difficult to come up with anything negative to say about this book!
Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. Have students get into small groups and write down what the community would be like if evreyone had shared. Would they start to wear clothes made of fuzz regularly? Would they have left the colony to find more fuzz to play with?
2. Bring in broken apart cotten balls. Have students draw a picture of themselves, and then cover the picture in fuzz. Students may make a mustache, a hat, or shoes of fuzz, for example. Then, have students write about what they are with their "fuzz costumes" on.
One sunny afternoon, a dog drops a tennis ball into a prairie dog hole. A small prairie dog named Pip Squeak touches the fuzz, and realizes that it can be torn off, and even better, it can be worn! Eventually the fuzz runs out causing panic in the prairie dog community. They prairie dogs
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begin to fight each other, but eventually run out of energy and wake up with the fuzz stolen by Big Bark, a mean prairie dog. Suddenly, an eagle snatches up Big Bark. The prairie dogs help to save him, and agree to never fight like that again.My Personal Reaction:
This book is difficult not to love between the adorable illustrations of the prairie dogs and the indiscreet message about sharing with those around us. I thought this book was a very fun read for primary grades. It is actually very difficult to come up with anything negative to say about this book!
Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. Have students get into small groups and write down what the community would be like if evreyone had shared. Would they start to wear clothes made of fuzz regularly? Would they have left the colony to find more fuzz to play with?
2. Bring in broken apart cotten balls. Have students draw a picture of themselves, and then cover the picture in fuzz. Students may make a mustache, a hat, or shoes of fuzz, for example. Then, have students write about what they are with their "fuzz costumes" on.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mlucas09
Summary: A group of prairie dogs discover something huge and fuzzy in the under ground home, after much investigation and confusion it turns out that it is a fuzzy green tennis ball that a dog left there.
Genre: Fantasy
Media: Mixed Media on watercolor paper
Genre: Fantasy
Media: Mixed Media on watercolor paper
LibraryThing member bookcat27
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
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.
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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 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.
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LibraryThing member JenJ.
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,
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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 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
LibraryThing member shazam79
i grabbed a pic of a groundhog off the internet, put a pic of a ball in the groundhogs hands and had the children color for craft. i dyed cotton balls yellow and the kids glued fuzz onto their groundhogs.
LibraryThing member katewells
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
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
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expressive. Show Less
LibraryThing member LindsayReeves
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
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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! Show Less
LibraryThing member sloth852
This book is so much fun. When a tennis ball falls down a prairie dog burrow, all sorts of chaos ensues.
Awards
Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Nominee — 2008)
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Picture Book — 2009)
Monarch Award (Nominee — 2009)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades K-2 — 2007)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades K-3 — 2009)
Red Clover Book Award (Nominee — 2007)
Buckaroo Book Award (Nominee — 2007)
Chickadee Award (Nominee — 2007)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 2008)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — Primary — 2009)
Golden Archer Award (Nominee — Primary — 2007)
Treasure State Award (Nominee — 2007)
Charlotte Award (Winner — 2008)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 2008)
Flicker Tale Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 2007)
Colorado Children's Book Award (Nominee — Picture Book — 2007)
Ladybug Picture Book Award (Nominee — 2006)
Show Me Readers Award (Nominee — 2008)
Wanda Gág Read Aloud Book Award (Winner — 2006)
Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award (Nominee — 2007)
Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award (Winner — 2008)
Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (Primary — 2006)
Call number
J2M.3204