ReedALOUD: The Party, a Fox + Chick book

Today I read one book about two friends having three adventures! Sergio Ruzzier's Fox + Chick The Party and Other Stories is everything a great read aloud should be. We've got one endearing friendship, two cute animals, and three humorous stories.  

The humor is spot on and perfect for readers both young and old. I read the book with kindergartners and it was one of those times that not only did I hear their laughter, I also heard the laughter of the aides and parent volunteers. There's something wonderful about hearing a chuckle from elsewhere in the library where a parent is shelving books.

Fox + Chick sits there right alongside books like Bink & Gollie, Frog and Toad, and Max and Ruby. These are the books where readers gain a better understanding of what it means to be a friend (even when a sibling). Fox + Chick join this group of endearing characters who are sometimes selfless, sometimes confused, sometimes amused, sometimes frustrated, but always thoughtful and kind. Take a look below and you will see what I mean.

We are introduced to Fox + Chick on the jacket flap.

The title page image was an opportunity to stop and ask the students to think about the type of friendship Fox + Chick have. Many students quickly connected chick sitting on fox's feet to the airplane game they play with their parents. They wondered if fox helped chick have fun. and was a bit like an older sibling.

We started the first story, called The Party. Chick approaches a house and knock on the door. I love how literal Chick is. That Fox is a reader warms my heart.

Sergio Ruzzier's body language for Fox + Chick is fabulous. These kindergartners can clearly see that Chick is thinking.

Time passes. A lot of time passes. My students thought that it must be a very good book.

When Fox realizes how much time has passed and concerned for Chick, Fox heads to the bathroom. 

No spoiler alert here, but the students loved the next two pages. They realized that it's important to be clear about what you need.

Story two is called Good Soup and as you can imagine, more fun ensues. I love how Fox is kneeling in this spread. The students just had garden planting day and we talked about how we could picture ourselves kneeling just like this in the garden.

Chick tries to make sense of what Chick sees and what Chick knows about Foxes. Their body language just adds to the fun here.

Chick is so proud to share all this knowledge. That last frame had the students saying, "uh, oh!"

Again, no spoilers here, but turns out Fox is not the only one who doesn't follow a traditional eating pattern.

Story Three is titled Sit Still and is equally as wonderful as the first two. 

After reading the book, students shared their favorite parts and talked more about Fox + Chick's friendship. They thought that Chick was always curious and asking questions and that Fox was patient and kind. They thought they really liked each other.

I reminded them how to use Voicethread and left my laptop down low for them to share what the next Fox + Chick adventure should be. 

It's so cool to watch them manage thinking about what they want to say, taking turns, and helping each other navigate the tool.

There are some great ideas here!