Best friends Cork (muskrat) and Fuzz (possum) are back in their seventh entertaining outing for beginning readers. Here, Cork sets out to teach Fuzz “a muskrat thing”—how to swim—so he can visit Cork’s house in the middle of the pond. But Fuzz is a reluctant student. Convinced he knows a better way to get to Cork’s house, Fuzz climbs out on a branching hanging over the pond, only to be startled by a bird and fall in. As Cork calls instructions from the shore (“ 'Paddle! ... Kick!’” ), Fuzz responds, and discovers he can swim! “ ' Tomorrow I will teach you a possum thing,’ ” he tells Cork. “One wet muskrat and one wet possum. They sat on top of Cork’s house and talked. It was a best friend kind of thing.” Dori Chaconas’s lively narrative and Lisa McCue’s charming illustrations continue to bring two winning characters to life. (Ages 4–7)