Sandy Heitmeier Thompson – författare

Gathered around a camp fire, Brett, Blake, and Gavin make silly New Year resolutions for their parents until sensible Maya gets them back on track. The parents retreat to the house and the companions are telling jokes when they meet Weston, a great horned owl. Weston is impressed to see that these children of different ethnic backgrounds are such good friends and explains why we celebrate cultural diversity at this time of the year. Motivated by Weston, the kids organize a get-together for their diverse neighborhood. Unexpectedly, it snows, and the kids make sleds out of inner tubes to slide down a huge hill nearby. The kids scream and laugh loudly as they zoom down the hill again and again. Little did they know that their noise was disturbing two raccoons sleeping nearby in a tree hollow. The raccoons have enough and start a funny food fight with the kids. Weston becomes their hero as he flies into the battle, knocking food out of the air. Later at the neighborhood gathering, Weston, the kids, and the raccoons apologize to each other and have a great time at the party.

Clarence has put on a few pounds and is fearful that he might end up being a holiday dinner when Farmer Hayman looks at HIM with a sly smile. This turkey wastes no time packing and runs away from the farm. Along the way, Clarence meets two young brothers Brett and Blake. The boys befriend the nervous turkey and give him a place to stay. The next several days become fun times for the trio until the day before Thanksgiving when they notice Farmer Hayman approaching their house. Clarence starts to panic, but the boys come up with a clever plan to save their feathered friend.

Brothers Brett and Blake are excited to fly up north to spend Christmas with Grandma, especially since the boys know that Grandma might be feeling a little lonesome without Grandpa this year. The weather is cold and snowy where Grandma lives, and the boys are tasked with searching for a Christmas tree in the woods. They meet a partridge named Penelope, who helps guide them through the snowy forest. Penelope and the brothers quickly become friends, and the wise bird teaches the boys about living and surviving in cold weather. The boys realize that Penelope, who has lived a long time and is very smart, reminds them of someone-Grandma! Brett, Blake, and Penelope work together to come up with the perfect gift for Grandma that will make this Christmas extra special.

Maya is learning about Groundhog Day on her family''s widescreen television with Brett, Blake, and Gavin when she receives a mysterious Valentine''s Day card. She thinks one of her friends is playing a joke on her, but each denies having anything to do with it. The plot thickens when Maya receives a second card the next day at school. Of course, Maya is curious about who is sending them. Then, on the way home after school, Maya and the boys meet Coco the dove. They tell Coco about Maya''s mysterious cards, and Coco tries to help Maya figure out the identity of her secret admirer. Even though Maya comes up with a list of whom she thinks it could be, the group ultimately can''t figure it out. Maya finds more notes over the next several days but still has no idea who is behind them. On Valentine''s Day, however, she stumbles upon a very pleasant surprise and solves the mystery once and for all.