Alice keeps a perfectly round skipping stone in her pocket to remember her grandfather by - but the stone goes missing. It looked just like a regular stone, but Alice knew it was different: It was perfectly round so you could use it to trace circles, and sometimes she could trick her dad into thinking it was a quarter. It was also how Alice remembered her grandpa, who taught her how to skip stones, and who passed away last winter. Alice brings the stone to school for Show and Share, but when her classmate asks to see it again at recess, Alice discovers that the stone is gone! Her friends search high and low and can't find the stone-but their friendship gives Alice an idea of another way that she can remember. A gentle look at loss, grief, and how small everyday actions can connect us to those we love. Key Text Features Illustrations Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

What Happens Next is a raw, realistic story told by an unnamed protagonist who is made to feel different from everybody else--even invisible sometimes. Bullied by a girl at school, our narrator gives a terse script of the related facts (What Her Friends Do: Laugh. What Everyone Else Does: Nothing.) and emotions (How I Feel Sometimes: Bad. Really Bad.).

The narrator takes these hurt feelings home, where Mom listens and offers some ideas. At school the next day, the child confronts the bully by turning a "weirdo" fascination with science into an opportunity to find common ground, and maybe help the bully see the world in a new way.

Spare illustrations in a limited palette of blues and greens convey feeling alone even in the hustle and bustle of a crowded schoolyard. Graphic novel-style panels set a steady pace for the emotional impact of this important story that doesn't simplify the realities of feeling like an outsider. It's a powerful starting point for discussions of emotions, empathy, and how we relate to others.

Our favorite odd-couple friends explore the wilds of their house after dark in book two of the Buddy and Earl series. Buddy is just settling in for the night when Earl announces that he’s going on a trip. Where will Earl go? Wherever the road leads him, of course! Before Buddy knows it, he and Earl are off on another grand adventure. While exploring the wilds of the kitchen, they see wondrous sights, make delicious discoveries and even encounter a couple of unusual monsters. This second book in the best-selling Buddy and Earl series reunites the dog who likes to play by the rules and the hedgehog who knows no limits. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.