Siblings Fritz and Franny go to bed and each try to convince their pet dog Fred that their bunk is the preferred place to be, concocting imaginative roles for each, such as the top bunk being a sailing ship and the bottom bunk being a submarine. Which will Fred choose? And will Fritz and Franny ever stop bickering?

This was a very cute book that is just the right length and amount of text for kids who are just starting to advance past early readers but not quite ready for long chapter books yet. There are three short chapters in which the siblings have the usual bedtime routine/chaos familiar to any caregiver, try to convince Fred which bunk is preferable, and then suggest to each other a swap of bunks to prove their point. I really appreciate the part with the imaginative play, although the realization that each prefers their own bunk as best due to their own personalities was also a nice touch. The final story page reveal had me chuckle aloud. And the actual final page of the book includes a step-by-step tutorial of how to draw Fritz. ( )

Fox tails: The Great Bunk Bed Battle
Kids can relate to the sibling rivalry on what part of the bunk bed is better. At bedtime Fritz and Franny, two foxes, entice their dog Fred to come to their part of the bunk bed imagining all kinds of scenarios to make it more appealing. A tall tree house or a cave in the night, or the top of a castle compared to a spot under the bridge. The ideas become wilder, and Fritz and Franny are not ready to sleep until mom turns on the lights with a stern look on her face. When they do trade, both foxes realize using opposites that the top is too cold, the bottom is too hot and end up in Fred’s dog bed.
Easy repetitive text is displayed in cartoon balloons to make it look like a graphic novel. Colorful illustrations will make this interesting to beginning readers. The size of the books is more like a series book than a reader and could be interesting to 1st or 2nd grade emerging readers. The reviewer has a hardback copy. This is part of a series of books with the same characters.
R
Written
Kindergarten through 3rd grade ( )

Tina Kugler, author of the silly and popular Snail and Worm easy readers, debuts a new Acorn series.
Fox siblings Fritz and Franny, and their dog Fred, need to go to bed. At least, their parent thinks so. They have other ideas. Once they're finally in bed, Franny in the (purple) top bunk and Fritz in the (orange) bottom bunk, the fun doesn't end... because now they're arguing about whose bed is best!

They imagine their bed as a castle, volcano, forest... but the fun quickly ends when their parent, looking even more exhausted, appears to order them to sleep, now! They're not done yet though - they decide to switch bunks. However, they quickly discover that while they love their own bunks, they don't love switching! The beds are too hot, too cold, too high, too low. Fortunately for them, they find the perfect bed where all three of them, including Fred the dog, can sleep comfortably.

While the parents are not definitely identified, the adult gray fox, matching Fritz, wears green pajamas and makes one brief appearance, reading the kids a bedtime story - and looking on helplessly when they turn it into a dance party. The adult red fox, matching Franny, wears a blue bathrobe and purple slippers and is present throughout, telling the kits it's time for bed, shooing them along, and coming back in, with increasing circles under their eyes, to tell them to quiet down and go back to sleep. It's pretty clearly implied that the gray fox is the dad and the red fox the mom - so one might want to know why all the bedtime rituals, not to mention discipline, are up to her!

Kugler's pictures are bright and cartoonish with cute little details, like acorns and paws carved onto the bunk bed. Franny and Fritz have long, sharp snouts and caregivers will appreciate watching their mom's patience diminish as the story continues.

Verdict: A funny addition to the Acorn line, although not necessarily a required purchase.

ISBN: 9781338561678; Published September 2020 by Scholastic; Purchased for the library