Summary “The Power of Yeti,” written by Rebecca Van Slyke and illustrated by G. Brian Karas, tells the story of a young boy who feels frustrated when he struggles to keep up with his friends. Whether it’s tying his shoes, scoring goals in soccer, or counting backward from 100, he finds himself falling short. One

Summary “Swimmy,” written and illustrated by Leo Lionni, tells the story of a unique little fish who stands out from his school of red fish because he is black. One day, a hungry tuna fish gobbles up all of Swimmy’s companions, leaving him alone and frightened. As he swims through the ocean, he encounters many

Summary “Sticks” by Diane Alter begins on a hot summer day, a popsicle melts into a sad little stick. Feeling useless, the stick laments its fate until Twig, a friendly voice from a tree, encourages it. Twig reminds Stick that it was once part of a tree and introduces it to Pencil and Brush, who

Summary “Busy Beaver” by Nicholas Oldland tells the story of a beaver whose carelessness causes chaos in the forest. His hasty work leaves dams leaking, trees half-chewed, and results in accidents with other animals. After being injured by a falling tree, he realizes the damage he’s caused and commits to changing his ways. He makes

Summary “Taco Falls Apart” by Brenda S. Miles delves into the struggles of Taco, who feels overwhelmed by expectations to always be perfect. Taco reaches his breaking point, falling apart both literally and emotionally, reflecting the pressure he feels to maintain composure. Through the support of his food friends, Taco learns about the “Think-Feel-Do” cycle,

Summary “The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon” by Matthew Burgess explores whimsical strategies for dealing with stubbornly grouchy characters. The narrative suggests various techniques, from asking, distracting, and offering treats, to more drastic measures like getting them in trouble or even considering a “humongous nudge.” Yet, the book warns against actions that might worsen the curmudgeon’s mood, like

Summary “Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon” by Simian Feet Singh tells the remarkable life journey of Fauja Singh, who became the oldest marathon runner at the age of 100. Born in Punjab, India, with physical challenges that led many to believe he would never

Summary “Flight School” by Lita Judge is a heartwarming tale about a determined penguin who believes he has the soul of an eagle and dreams of flying. Despite the obvious challenge – penguins are not built to fly – the protagonist enrolls in flight school, holding onto his ambition with unwavering faith. The story unfolds

Summary “Elephants Cannot Dance!” by Mo Willems is a heartwarming and humorous story about Gerald the elephant, who initially believes that elephants cannot dance. The story unfolds as Gerald’s friends encourage him to give dancing a try despite his doubts. The friends embark on a dance journey together, attempting various moves and having fun along

Summary “Stuck” by Oliver Jeffers begins with Floyd’s kite getting stuck in a tree. As he tries to retrieve it, things escalate when his shoe, and later another, get stuck as well. In a chain reaction of throwing objects to dislodge the stuck items, everything ends up lodged in the tree. Floyd’s attempts involve a

Summary “Sam & Dave Dig a Hole” by Mac Barnett follows the adventures of Sam and Dave, who are determined to discover something spectacular as they dig a hole. As they encounter various challenges and change their plans, readers learn the valuable lesson that persistence and perseverance are key in achieving extraordinary outcomes. The book

Summary “The Magical Yet” by Angela DiTerlizzi tells the story of a child who faces various difficulties and setbacks, like not being able to ride a bike. The child is introduced to the concept of “yet,” which is like a magical helper that reminds the child that they may not be able to do something

Summary In “A Thousand No’s” by D.J. Corchin, the main character has a great idea but faces numerous rejections. Despite the weight of the “no’s,” her idea evolves and grows as more people contribute their own perspectives. Eventually, on the thousandth “no,” the character realizes that the idea has transformed into something entirely different, and

Summary “The Day You Begin” by Jacqueline Woodson celebrates the journey of finding one’s voice and belonging in a world where no one else is quite like you. It explores moments of self-discovery, connecting with others through shared experiences and unique differences, ultimately embracing the power of individuality. Comprehension Questions Six questions aligned to Bloom’s

Summary In “Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andreae, Gerald is a tall giraffe with crooked knees, thin legs — and no confidence in his dancing abilities. Every year, the animals from al over gather for the jungle dance, and Gerald feels sad. The other animals mock him, and Gerald walks away feeling useless and alone.

Summary In “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds, Vashti overcomes her belief that she can’t draw with encouragement from her art teacher, who suggests she start with a single dot. Surprised to see her dot framed in class the next day, Vashti is inspired to explore her creativity further, experimenting with colors and patterns. Her

Summary In “Not Yet” by Lisa Cox and Lori Hockema, Lorisa contextualizes her successes and failures with her future aspirations. She notices patterns and draws connections between what she can (and can’t) do right now and how her experiences prepare her to do more as she grows. Climbing a rock wall will enable her to

Summary “Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle” by Chris Raschka is written in a style accessible to readers who might also be learning to ride a bicycle for the first time. In the story, a little girl works with her grandfather to learn to ride a bike. Their process spans her becoming interested to

Summary “Brave Irene” by William Steig begins with Irene’s mother, a dress maker for the Duchess, falling sick the day of the royal ball. Little Irene volunteers to deliver her dress to the palace. Before leaving, Irene tends to her sick mother and carefully packages the dress with tissue paper in a large yellow box.

Summary In “Anything Is Possible” by Giulia Belloni, a sheep observes a flock of birds flying overhead and is inspired to create a flying machine in order to see the world the way they do. She approaches her friend, a wolf, to help. He is initially skeptical that it can be done, but ultimately agrees

Summary The book “It’s Okay to Make Mistakes” by Todd Parr is a perfect SEL read aloud for younger readers. It presents a dozen scenarios in which children (and even some grown ups) may feel embarrassed or ashamed with reassurance that these things are “okay”; they can ultimately be fixed, allow you to learn, or

Summary In “The Book of Mistakes” by Corinna Luyken, a girl draws a picture — first of a girl, then of her immediate surroundings, and eventually of her entire world. She reflects on every step along her artistic journey. These include the things that go according to her plan, her mistakes, and even her attempts

Summary “The Bad Seed” by Jory John is the story of a sunflower seed, who has come to see himself as a bad seed. He does all kinds of things — big and small — that annoy and inconvenience other the seeds. They talk about him behind his back, and he knows it. He used

Summary In “Jabari Jumps” by Gaia Cornwall, after a series of swimming lessons, Jabari goes to the swimming pool with his dad and sister and tells them he is finally ready to jump off the diving board. Walking towards the diving board and climbing the first rungs of the ladder, Jabari shows and voices hesitation.

Summary In “My Strong Mind” by Neils van Hove, some things come easily for Kate, but she can’t help but focus on the things that are hard, such as getting ready for school on time, doing cartwheels with her friends, and speaking in front of her class. They are even harder because Kate ends up

Summary In “A Splash of Red” by Jen Bryant, Horace Pippin was a boy with big hands who loved to make art. Because he was so big and strong, he had many responsibilities in his family, but he drew pictures whenever free time he had. His classmates loved his artwork, and he even won a

Summary In “After the Fall by Dan Santat, Humpty Dumpty goes into greater detail about the emotional toll his accident had on him long after the king’s men were able to physically restore him. He wasn’t the same at his fall. He was too scared to return to the wall where he once watched birds,

Summary In “The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes” by Mark Pete and Gary Rubinstein, Beatrice wakes up on the day of the school talent show and completes her morning routine. She gets dressed, makes her bed, feeds her hamster, and packs lunch for her brother Carl. She remembers to do everything, and she does everything

Summary In “What Do You Do with a Chance?” by Kobi Yamada, a little boy gets a chance one day. It appears in the form of a shiny golden origami butterfly, but it could represent anything. The chance flies all around the boy, but he isn’t sure what to do with it. When he starts

Summary In “When Sophie Thinks She Can’t…” by Molly Bang, Sophie is a little girl who loves gardening. One day, when she is struggling to solve a jigsaw puzzle, her older sister walks up and solves it for her, telling her she wasn’t smart enough to solve it herself. The next day at school, Sophie

Summary “Your Fantastic Elastic Brain” by Joanne Deak explores the amazing capabilities of the human brain. Through engaging explanations and illustrations, it teaches young readers about different parts of the brain—such as the cerebrum for thinking, the cerebellum for movement, and the amygdala for emotions—and their unique functions. The book emphasizes the brain’s ability to

Summary In “Thanks for the Feedback… I Think?” by Julia Cook, RJ struggles with receiving and interpreting feedback from others, including compliments, advice, and occasionally even unfriendly comments. His journey begins with him questioning how to respond, as his reactions vary from self-doubt to defensive. Through various interactions—with his sister, a classmate named Norma, his

Summary “Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions” by Chris Barton tells the inspiring story of Lonnie Johnson, a passionate inventor from a crowded household in Mobile, Alabama. Despite facing space constraints and skepticism about his future as an engineer, Lonnie’s creativity knew no bounds. From childhood, he was captivated by building and inventing, creating

Summary In “Whistle for Willie” by Ezra Jack Keats, Peter is a little boy who wants to whistle. One day, he sees an older boy playing with his dog and whistling, so he tries to whistle but can’t. He spins around and makes himself dizzy. Later, Peter sees his dog, Willie, and hides in a