As soon as she arrives at school, Kitty knows there's trouble. ?Smiling Miss Seabrooke should be here to meet me. But my teacher is missing and NOT here to greet me.? With no Miss Seabrooke, everyone should be sent home, right? But no! Kitty and her classmates line up as usual and walk into the school building. Kitty's worries build as she wonders how she will get through the day without her teacher. What will she do when her Thermos gets stuck or her jacket won't zip? Miss Seabrooke is the only one who can fix these things. Or is she? Author Lana Button perfectly captures the fears and uncertainties of a kindergartner dealing with her first substitute teacher. She also models a way to cope, as Kitty steps up to help the substitute --- a ?ginormously tall? giraffe named Mr. Omar --- and discovers that sometimes change can be good. Button's playful and lively cadenced rhyming text, together with Christine Battuz's friendly illustrations of a full cast of animal characters at school, make this a terrific picture book for story time. It provides an excellent lead-in to prepare a class for their first substitute, or for a discussion about how it feels when life doesn't go as expected. A celebration of self-discovery and personal development, this book also makes a wonderful choice for character education lessons on kindness, empathy and perseverance. Educators will appreciate the heartfelt depiction of a young child's warm feelings for her teachers.

Melodramatic Leah goes through all the highs and lows of schoolyard rejection, a joyful new friendship, and empathetic generosity toward other lonely souls.

Why doesn’t the new student in Miss Seabrooke’s kindergarten class say anything when the other students talk to her? Speaking LOUDER doesn’t help. Tayra won’t even answer the teacher! They’re about to give up. But then Kitty decides she’ll show Tayra things instead of telling her. Soon the pair are communicating with gestures, drawings and smiles. Before long, all the others join in the fun, too! This story shows that words aren’t the only way to connect and be friends!

What does it mean to be tough? Kim finds out in this moving mother-daughter story about family hardship, vulnerability and love, perfect for fans of Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors. Kim's mum is tough. Everyone says so. She can deal with unruly customers at the Red Rooster with a snap of her fingers. Kim is tough, too. She doesn't need to wear a hat to keep her ears warm. And she can make soup all by herself, even without the stove. Kim and her mum are tough. But Kim is learning that sometimes toughness doesn't look like what you'd expect. In this tender exploration of a mother-daughter relationship, Kim and her mother learn that in order to support and truly take care of each other, they need to be tough -- and that sometimes being tough means showing vulnerability and asking for help.

Not your typical bullying story. Gertie the elephant says everyone on the playground should stay away from Bunny because she’s super mean. But Kitty has questions: How did Bunny become a bully? Was she born that way? Did she catch the bully flu? Wait, does that mean bullying is contagious? Could the other animals catch it? But … then no one would play would them either, and that doesn’t seem fair. Might Bunny be sorry? Should they give her a second chance? Flipping the focus turns ideas about bullies (and those who call them that!) on their heads.

Invited to Kristabelle's birthday party with her entire class, young Willow is dismayed when the bossy birthday girl begins crossing guests off the invitation list if they do anything she doesn't like, in a story that shares insights into handling bullying behaviors from the perspective of a bystander.

?Sometimes Willow smiled without even trying. But sometimes when she wished she could and knew she should, her smile slipped straight off her face.? So when her teacher tells the class that Picture Day is coming, shy Willow starts to worry. What if she isn't able to smile for the camera? How can she have her picture taken without smiling? But then on Picture Day, Willow gets the opportunity to watch the other children being photographed. She sees that all of her friends' expressions are unique, and perfect in their own way. And by the time it's her turn, she's realized that she doesn't need to worry about smiling for her picture. She just needs to be herself. In this sweet picture book, author Lana Button has created a relatable and reassuring story that offers children a terrific model for how to deal with a difficult experience in a socially and emotionally competent way. The simple illustrations by Tania Howells beautifully capture the story's focus through the range of emotions so clearly expressed by Willow and her classmates. This book provides opportunities for character lessons on self-respect, empathy and resilience. It would work for a classroom introduction to the annual ritual of Picture Day as well, a subject not often covered yet very significant to young children. It could also lead to a conversation about why we take pictures and what makes a great picture, and to activities such as making a class photo album.

When Willow speaks, her words slip out as soft and shy as a secret. At school, her barely audible whisper causes her no end of troubles. But Willow is as resourceful as she is quiet, and she fashions a magic microphone from items she finds in the recycling bin. But Willow's clever invention is only a temporary solution. How will this quiet little girl make herself heard?