Older should mean bigger, shouldn’t it? That’s the rule, according to Cork, and therefore a problem. Cork, a muskrat, is older—and shorter—than his best friend, Fuzz, a possum. The two friends experiment with a number of comical trial-and-error attempts to make Cork taller or to keep Fuzz from growing until Cork finally gives up, certain they can’t possibly remain friends. But Fuzz finds the perfect example of ways different can still mean the same in Dori Chaconas’s appealing short chapter book for beginning readers. Lisa McCue’s winning illustrations blend a sense of realism with humor. (Ages 4–7)