Although he is different in size, color, and shape, the peas like and accept their friend, Colin the carrot.

When three children, Jesse, Jason, and Emma, are confronted with new classmates from different ethnic backgrounds, they strive to overcome their initial reactions, and to understand, accept, and welcome Maria, Jin, and Fatima.

"Frankie is different from everyone in her class, and she can't figure out why. She has trouble concentrating, and her classmates tease her for not having a dad at home. To try to make sense of the world, Frankie doodles her daily adventures in a journal. One day, when Frankie sneaks into her mom's room and sees her biological father's name on her birth certificate, she decides to go on a mission to track him down. Could Frankie's father be the key...

"Lili Macaroni loves every feature she has inherited from a family member, but when she starts kindergarten she is teased for those very traits. Burdened by unhappiness, she creates a polka-dotted butterfly and imagines it flying her sorrows away--and finds she has introduced a powerful tool for conversations about emotions, self-esteem, and resilience."--

Francis loves words, and the class exercise where the students come up with words starting with a chosen letter; Francis has chosen the letter "p", but while reviewing the letter "f" one of her classmates comes up with "fat" and associates it with Francis which makes her sad and withdrawn--until later her father teaches her the word "possible" and they explore its meanings together.

A sloth and a jaguar compare their preferred speeds and try to move at the other's speed, but eventually agree that their own speeds suit them best.