Miriam Cohen

It's hot down in that subway train. But one cool passenger catches young Oscar's eye. She's the Island Lady, and from her bag she pulls a blue island breeze, the Caribbean Sea, the Calypso Man, a steel band, little lizards, and a whole island town.

Every morning when Mommy goes to work, I kiss her goodbye. Daddy stays home with me, and we do everything together. We have lots of fun.

The children in the first grade must take a test and they are worried. When the results come back, some children feel bad. Their gentle, understanding teacher assures the children that a test doesn't tell any of the important things about them--if they are creative, kind, or are a good friend.

The narrator in this story idolizes his older brother. But when big brother leaves for the army, the young boy must fill his brother's shoes by looking after their family.

Although the children are told they should send a card to everyone in their class, George ends up with fewer cards than everyone else. When his classmates find him crying, they rally round and successfully cheer him up.

On Jim's first day of school he worries, "Will I have a friend?" Jim's anxieties on his first day of school are happily forgotten when he makes a new friend....