The all-ages adventures of NASCAR mascot Digger and his friends continue here! In this issue, two more funny-animal tales of adventure, as Digger gets closer to his dream of riding in a race car, all the while continuing to evade the dreaded Lumpy Wheels!

Bernard was little more than a tadpole that day on the riverbank near his home. His mother had gathered her children together to warn them of the dangers of going too near the humans that came to the river to fish. He had listened closely to her every word, but unlike his siblings, he found the very thought of such strange visitors to be more exciting than fearful. His curiosity, like a tiny little frog on his shoulder, assured him that it would be a wonderful adventure to get a closer look at the intruders, and if he was careful, there would nothing to fear. By not listening to his mother, he would find himself in some dangerous places with some scary creatures. He was frightened and so alone. All was not lost; he would soon meet a wonderful hound that would take him on many adventures.

Jasper the Chipmunk wants to fly Oliver the Squirrel's new kite. Oliver told Jasper that it is too windy and he could lose his kite. Jasper promised Oliver that he would not lose his kite. Oliver and Champs tried to fly the kite, but it is not heavy enough. Oliver the Squirrel and Champs the racoon tie Jasper to the kite. The kite and Jasper goes up, but the kite string breaks. Jasper the Chipmunk goes on an adventure into the big city. When Jasper gets home, he keeps his promise and gives Oliver back his kite.

Hoppity Frog comes across someone so different from him self, looks, life style, likes, dislikes, children hopefully will learn that looks are only skin deep and they need to look beyond the surface for a true friend.

Tale of a boy who gets separated from his family on the way to the gold fields of California, gets rich and finds his long-lost grandfather. Gerstaecker was a German who prospected in the 1849 gold rush, and the geography of the story is accurate. Gerstaecker wrote many non-fiction works on California and America for German readers.

Every morning Digger Dan and his friends go to Digger Day Care. But this morning is very special. The Mice have a building plan and every little vehicle has their very own task to complete. Leo the Wheel Loader lifts a heavy stone. Digger Dan digs and digs, piling sand higher and higher while Theo the little dumper truck carries a load of pretty balloons and Carley Crane helps wherever she can. When the big project is done, everyone is so excited to see their big, beautiful creation! Can you guess what the little vehicles built?

Engage even the youngest readers with Dr. Monnin's standards-based lessons and strategic approach to teaching comics and graphic novels to early readers! Examples from a wide variety of comics and graphic novels--including multicultural models--and recommended reading lists help teachers of grades K-6 seamlessly teach print-text and image literacies together. Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels shows you how to address the unique needs of striving readers, connect reading and writing, teach the necessary terminology, and apply the standards to any graphic novel or comic for emerging through advanced readers. A companion blog, www.teachinggraphicnovels.blogspot.com, offers free downloads, teaching tips, and updates on new comics and graphic novels you can use in your classroom. Tap into the power of comics and graphic novels to engage all learners!