Hest, Amy

Harry sits on the porch with Mr. George Baker, an African American who is one hundred years old but can still dance and play the drums, waiting for the school bus that will take them both to the class where they are learning to read.

When Mrs. Bear and little Sam deliver the cakes they have made for their friends in the neighborhood, Sam carries the cakes all by himself, through the snow and up to the front doors.

When Sam has a cough, Mrs. Bear tends to him all through the cold night.

Even after a story, being tucked in, and warm milk, Sam is not ready to go to sleep until his mother kisses him good-night.

A thirteen-year-old Jewish orphan reluctantly leaves her grandmother and immigrates to New York City, where she works for three years sewing lace and earning money to bring Grandmother to the United States, too.

Baby Duck is unhappy about the new eyeglasses she has to wear, until Grandpa helps her realize that they are not so bad after all.

When Pete's widowed mother starts dating Lily's divorced father, the two girls decide they need to control the situation.

Baby Duck feels neglected when her parents make a fuss over their new baby, but Grandpa helps her realize she is still important.

Although she loves her father, their home in New York City, and third-grade teacher Miss Meadows, Annie misses her mother who died recently.

Casey, Jenny, and Kate have a pajama party complete with sleeping bags, chocolate chip cookies, and scary stories.