Roberta and William are relaxing on their porch and watching their pets chase butterflies. But the mail brings something unexpected to Roberta, and soon things will change. An opportunity unfolds for them to put into action one of the greatest strategies for a powerful life: being kind.

Roberta discovers her town is moving forward with plans for a botanical garden to preserve plants for many generations. Hopefully, there will be enough like-minded people to make it happen, and she’ll even donate a quilt to the auction to help out. While waiting for the event to come together, she and William decide to take a fishing trip—one that turns out to be a bigger venture than expected when a strong storm hits!

This illustrated children’s verse follows the adventures of Roberta and William as they make plans to contribute to their community and find themselves on a fishing adventure.

This illustrated verse includes an appendix of interesting facts taken from various elements in the story, designed to pique the curiosity of the reader and stimulate self-guided learning. A second STRETCH2SMART appendix provides three difficulty levels for parents and educators who want young readers to develop broader thinking skills.

Roberta and William have been putting their winter food in storage—apples, potatoes, and squash, to name a few. After a hard day’s work, they have decided to reward themselves with an overnight trip to the city.

They keep an Adventure Book, going to special places from A to Z. They’ve worked their way up to P, so they’ll make a special trip while in town to eat at the Plazia restaurant. Roberta and William have a list of exactly what they need and want to do while they’re in the city—time for shopping and fun. On their way home, a shortcut on the scenic route takes them to an unexpected place and causes an unusual purchase.

A country couple make the most of their unplanned glitches, and have quite an adventure!

This illustrated verse features an appendix of facts about key elements in the story to initiate self-guided learning. A second appendix, Stretch2Smart, is an interactive experience to help parents make reading fun for their children.

One fall day, Roberta, who lives in the country, decides it’s time to harvest the wild, rare apples she knows should be ripe. This outing was carefully planned; she put on her special shoes, pants with lots of pockets, and a shirt to protect her from the sun and set off with her cat, Kitty Kay, and her dog, Gracie Jane.

As the trio start out, Roberta is excited to gather the apples she’ll need during the winter. When they arrive, Kitty Kay and Gracie Jane do their part helping to collect the fruit to put in the tub. Unfortunately, as they finish, a storm strikes! What can they do to stay safe when a flash flood arrives shortly after the storm ends? To make it through her dangerous situation, Roberta quickly sorts through everything she has ever seen, heard, or read to pull out a survival plan of common sense for herself and her two pets.

This illustrated verse offers a humorous adventure with examples of making correct choices, and features an appendix of facts about key elements in the story to initiate self-guided learning. A second appendix, Stretch2Smart helps the reader practice skills that promote higher level thinking.