Cottonmouth And The River-C.S. Fritz

Cottonmouth And The River C.S. Fritz David C. Cook, May 1 2014, $7.99 ISBN: 9780781410335 Ten years old Freddie Cottonmouth is lonely as his only friend for the last two years is the churning river where his parents left him. One day Freddie is astonished that the river is not moving and this stillness enables him to see the stones on the bottom for the first time. He notices a black egg floating towards him until it stops by him. When Freddie picks the egg up, the river begins flowing again. Freddie takes the egg home, but becomes afraid when he hears a noise inside his house. He meets an intruding Beast who introduces himself as Tug the Comforter who explains the egg grants wishes to Frederick the Reckless; the only stipulation is not to eat it. The egg allows Freddie to go on adventures over the next two weeks, but fails to grant the tweener’s ultimate wish. When Menson the Rat tells Freddie to eat the egg whole if he wants his deepest wish to happen, the child struggles between his heart’s desire and his pledge. Targeting the middle school audience, Cottonmouth And The River is an engaging fable that assumes its readers are intelligent by not dumbing down the moral message that a promise is important to keep even at the sacrifice of your greatest psychological need. The numerous B&W illustrations enhance a fabulous children’s story. Harriet Klausner