Books in Franklin and Friends series

Here's a way to have a range of picture book stories about the ever-popular Franklin the Turtle at your fingertips. Tie-ins from episodes of the 3D-animated television series Franklin and Friends, these eight separate stories provide models for dealing with a variety of everyday concerns and real problems faced by small children as they navigate the new frontiers of their lives. They help explain how to deal with uncomfortable situations, such as the fear of speaking in front of the class (Franklin and the Wonder), getting a nickname you don't like (Franklin, the Little Bubble) or being the only one who still struggles with a skill that all the other children have mastered (Franklin's Ups and Downs). Some explore handling social relationships, as when friends disagree about the best way to make something (Franklin's Partner), a friend doesn't want to play the same game as everyone else (Franklin's Spaceship) or when a decision must be made about which friend truly deserves to win the prize (Franklin and the Gecko Games). And a couple offer suggestions for fun and interesting ways to challenge yourself, such as solving a mystery with teamwork (Franklin and the Big Small Case) or using your imagination to travel to outer space (Franklin in the Stars). Besides being terrific read-alouds that feature familiar, appealing characters, stories about Franklin and his animal friends are always a perfect fit for character education lessons, particularly those on compassion, caring and kindness --- Franklin's strong suits.

Franklin the Turtle and Bear are heading to their cool-io tree fort when Harriet and Beatrice, their younger sisters, try to tag along. Though Franklin and Bear tell the girls they can't come, their mothers have a different idea. ?But we were going to put our stuff in the tree fort,? Franklin says. ?There will still be time for that,? says Mrs. Turtle. ?Right now, you need to find something to do with your sisters --- something safe. That means on the ground, Franklin.? Franklin and Bear are so disappointed. All of their friends are in the tree fort having a great time. It's not fair! Will they be able to come up with a way to have fun and watch their sisters at the same time? Younger siblings often pose a problem for children when they want to be left alone to do ?big kid? stuff. In this situation, Franklin and Bear are able to find a way to engage in play that everyone enjoys and that even ends up bringing the siblings closer. As with many of the titles in this series based on the 3D-animated television show Franklin and Friends, it's a win-win solution to a typical problem faced by children in their everyday lives. This book would make an excellent choice for a character education lesson about adaptability, initiative or responsibility. The amazing ground fort the children create out of cardboard boxes could inspire some terrific structure-building classroom projects as well.

It's nearly Christmas, but the adults in Woodland are too busy buying presents, putting up their trees and decorating to have any time for holiday fun. This gives Franklin the turtle an idea. ?What if we go caroling?? he says to his friends. ?I bet that would get everyone into the Christmas spirit!? At first, they all agree it's a great plan. But when caroling time comes, Franklin and Snail are the only two who show up in the town square. Though he's disappointed, Franklin bravely begins singing all by himself, with Snail accompanying him on the harmonica. Slowly, people start to gather around. Soon they begin caroling, too. And before long, thanks to Franklin, everyone in town has found the holiday spirit! Based on the popular Franklin and Friends 3D-animated television program, this book highlights what a wonderful role model the beloved turtle Franklin can be. Here he shows young children that, even though they're small, they can still make a difference in their own communities. It also teaches them how, when things don't go according to plan, if you trust in yourself and follow your heart, you're sure to end up doing the right thing. This title would be a perfect choice for a read-aloud during the holiday season, and could launch a discussion of what ?holiday spirit? means and how children can help foster it. It would also work beautifully for a character education lesson on caring, courage or initiative.

Franklin the turtle doesn't like how Aunt T always makes up embarrassing nicknames for him. One day she calls him Little Bubble, and his friends Fox and Rabbit tease him about the silly name! Franklin becomes so worried she'll call him Little Bubble at her party the next day that he decides to make sure no one in town comes. But then his friend Bear tells Franklin that his mom calls him Honey Pot. ?Doesn't it bother you?? Franklin asks him. ?No. It just means that Mom cares about me,? Bear replies. And suddenly Franklin realizes it's actually a good thing Aunt T makes up names for him --- it means she loves him! The Franklin and Friends stories, based on the popular 3D-animation television series of the same name, are favorites of young children because they are so relevant to the struggles they face in their own lives. As they become more independent from their families, children often become more sensitive to how their peers view them. Here they are reminded that growing up in a loving environment is not something to be embarrassed about. This book makes for a terrific read-aloud and tool for character education lessons on caring and integrity.

Franklin the turtle and his best friend, Bear, are so excited about the upcoming Bumpy Buggy race in their town! They've agreed to be partners in the race. They've agreed they should spruce up their old buggy beforehand. And they've even agreed they should visit Mr. Fox to look for new parts to make their buggy super cool-io. But, oh no! It turns out they don't agree on exactly how to fix up their buggy. Should they add wings and call it the Mean Green Speedmobile, as Bear wants to do? Or make it a rocket with no wings and call it Sam's Rocket, as Franklin wants? If they can't agree on a buggy design for their team, the friends won't get to be partners after all! Will Franklin and Bear be able to work out their differences in time for the race? This disagreement between Franklin and his best friend is one many young children can relate to. However, unlike in their own lives, here children can see both sides: Franklin and Bear both believe they are completely right, while clearly they could both listen to each other a bit better. Children get the message that when friends compromise, everyone can be a winner. Based on the 3D-animated television series Franklin and Friends, this book provides the comfort of familiar friends teaching character education lessons on cooperation, fairness and teamwork. And, as with all Franklin books, this one will be a hit as a read-aloud for storytime

Franklin gets a great idea when he hears that Fox and his dad are spending the day doing ?special stuff.? ?Coolio!? he says. ?I'm going to have a Day with Dad today, too!? His dad, Mr. Turtle, thinks this is a splendid idea, but first they have to get to the store to replace their broken rain barrel. Once at the store, they help Mr. Mole hang a sign, and on the way home, Mr. Groundhog needs help fixing the hole in his roof. Franklin starts to get worried. When will they ever get on with their fun day together? Eventually, Franklin realizes this is their fun day together! He has learned an important lesson about time spent with his dad: ?It doesn't matter what we do, as long as we're together.?The stories in this series resonate with young children because Franklin and his animal friends consistently face problems and difficulties much like those in children's own day-to-day lives. And Franklin always finds a solution that is easy to understand, realistic and fair. With characters that are well-known to young children through the successful, 3D-animated television show Franklin and Friends, this bright and vivid book would make a wonderful read-aloud for storytime. It offers an excellent opportunity for a tie-in with a character education class about adaptability, kindness or teamwork.

Franklin the turtle is excited to be spending two whole nights at his best friend Bear's house! They have so much fun together playing outdoors and making cool snow dragons. But even though Franklin is having lots of fun with Bear, some things at Bear's house make him a little bit uncomfortable. ?I'm just not used to things around here,? Franklin tells his friend. ?And I miss my family. I wish they could be here with me.? Luckily for Franklin, Bear and his parents understand what he's going through. And with a lot of kindness and some clever ideas, they manage to help Franklin deal with his sadness and start to feel at home. As with all the Franklin books, this one perfectly captures a difficult experience that is commonly faced by young children, in this case that of spending time away from home. Kindergarten and preschool children will recognize and relate to the conflicting emotions Franklin has. They, too, are likely enjoying some newfound independence away from their families, while still yearning for the comfort and familiarity of home after time away. Well-known from the very popular 3D-animated television series Franklin and Friends, the lovable character Franklin is a welcome guest in any classroom and a big hit at storytime. This book offers an excellent opportunity for a class discussion on the subjects of independence or fear. It would also work well for character education lessons about compassion, empathy and kindness.

Franklin the turtle and his good friend Beaver are playing on the merry-go-round in the park when they discover a hand-drawn picture of a skunk girl with her skunk parents. But there aren't any skunk families living in Woodland, so who could have left this drawing? It's a real mystery. ?A mystery!? they both shout. ?That sounds like a job for the Super Cluepers!? Franklin, Beaver and five more of their friends --- in their Super Clueper personas, of course --- gather together to begin plotting their strategy. First they must find the skunk girl, then they can ask her if she wants to be their new friend!Combining adventure, mystery and a heartwarming tale about making new friends, this appealing Franklin title is perfect for very young children. Based on the popular 3D-animated television series Franklin and Friends, the Franklin stories continue to be favorites with small children because of the pitch-perfect way they resonate with their own real-world problems. Here, youngsters are encouraged to be curious about the world around them and to work at figuring out things they don't understand. Teachers and librarians will be gratified by the group's decision to begin solving their mystery by first heading to the library. This title provides an excellent story to read aloud to a group. And it's ready-made as a tie-in for a character education lesson on empathy, compassion, inclusiveness or teamwork.

Franklin is excited because his friend Rabbit is coming over to spend the night with him in his backyard. Franklin's dad has set up an amazing rocket ship tent, and Franklin can't wait to play space travel with Rabbit and use all the cool equipment he and his dad have prepared, including fins for steering, a satellite dish, a laser and ?zero-gravity grabbers.? There's just one problem. Franklin's sister, Harriet, keeps interrupting them to ask Rabbit to play with her instead, and Franklin finds himself getting more and more angry about not getting to play with his friend. But Franklin eventually discovers that Rabbit actually wants to play with Harriet because he misses his own many brothers and sisters. Once Franklin's understanding grows, he finds a creative way to include Harriet in their rocket ship games to make Rabbit feel more at home.The lasting appeal of the Franklin and Friends series is the way the stories feature very familiar and realistic problems and challenges faced by small children in their everyday lives, along with ideas for how children can work the problems out for themselves. Based on the popular, 3D-animated television show Franklin and Friends, the terrific books in this series will appeal to a ready-made audience of pre-readers. But this book also stands on its own as a delightful read-aloud story, with the added bonus of the wonderful, gentle character education lessons it teaches about empathy, tolerance and inclusiveness.

When Franklin sees (and hears) what a terrific job his friend Fox did fixing up the old, broken radio that Franklin had put in the junk box during the Turtle Family Clean-Up and Giveaway Day, he has second thoughts about having thrown it away. So his sympathetic friend Fox offers to give the now like-new radio back to him. Though this pleases Franklin at first, after a little while, he starts to feel uncomfortable about having taken the radio that Fox had worked so hard on. ?Aren't you happy to have the radio back?? his friend Bear asks him. ?I don't know,? says Franklin. ?Something just doesn't feel right.? As with all the books in this series based on the ever-popular 3D-animated TV series Franklin and Friends, this one will have wide appeal for its endearing characters and the wonderful lessons it provides young children about how to deal with difficulties they commonly face in their lives. Here, children can ponder what it means to make a decision and regret it later. In the end, Franklin follows his heart and realizes that the radio makes Fox far happier than him. This book would make a wonderful tie-in to character education lessons on kindness, integrity and fairness. A great read aloud, it could also be used to launch classroom discussions about the environmental issues of reducing, reusing and recycling.

Franklin the Turtle and Beaver both want to be the summer caretaker for Gordon, their club's pet gecko. So, to determine who would make the best ?gecko-sitter,? their friends decide to hold a competition of some special ?Gecko Games? to test their skills and knowledge. They both try their hardest, and it's a close challenge, but in the end Franklin wins two out of three games. Franklin is so excited he'll be taking Gordon home! That is, until he notices Beaver's reaction. Beaver looks so sad and disappointed, and Franklin doesn't ?feel like a winner at all.? Is there any way Franklin and Beaver can both come out ahead? Part of the picture book series based on the 3D-animated television show Franklin and Friends, this book offers children a model for dealing with an uncomfortable situation. Here, after thinking about the fact that he already has a pet at home while Beaver doesn't, Franklin realizes the job is more important to Beaver than to him, so he gives it to Beaver. This is a wonderful reminder of something many children instinctively know --- giving really can be better than receiving. It works beautifully for a character education lesson on compassion, caring or kindness. The idea of choosing who would be the most qualified gecko-sitter for the job instead of merely picking a favorite friend also offers a terrific lesson on fairness.