Q: "The zoo has money problem," Grandmother Sandy said. Angel listened. She heard that Fresno's Chaffee Zoo didn't have enough money to take care of its animals. Angel loved animals. She planned to study them when she grew up. Angel's family had four cats. Angel took good care of them and made sure that they always had food and water. Angel felt sorry for the zoo animals. While the others in the family were cooking dinner, Angel was cooking up a way to help the animals. She decided to write a letter to show how she felt. At the end of the letter, she wrote: "Give a dollar, help an animal." She sent the letter and a dollar to The Fresno Bee, a local newspaper. A few days after that, Angel's letter was published. Almost immediately, people began sending in money. Angel's letter was having effect! At school, Angel went to each classroom to read the letter that appeared on the newspaper. She asked students in her school to give money to the zoo. Next, Angel was asked to appear on television. She was invited to be on a popular talk show. The workers in the zoo were very happy. Ray Navarro is the person most responsible for the animals. "Angel opened the eyes of Fresno," said Ray. "She made us see that people can make a difference."

Answer the following questions:
1. Is the zoo doing okay?
2. What was wrong?
3. Could it support it's inhabitants?
4. Who told her this?
5. How did she feel about it when she heard?
6. What did she do about it?
7. To who?
8. What did it say?
9. Was the paper national?
10. How long did it take to be posted?
11. Did it work at all?
12. Did she raise funds?
13. Did she tell her schoolmates about it?
14. How did she do that?
15. Did anything else happen to her?
16. What was it?
17. Was her endeavor a success?
18. Who said that it was?
19. What was his last name?
20. What was his job?
A: 1. no
2. money problem
3. no
4. Grandmother Sandy
5. concerned
6. write a letter
7. The Fresno Bee
8. Give a dollar, help an anima
9. no
10. A few days
11. yes
12. yes
13. yes
14. Angel went to each classroom
15. yes
16. appear on television
17. yes
18. Ray.
19. Navarro
20. responsible for the animal
Q: Ally was at home, sitting in her chair. She was drinking orange juice. Orange juice was her favorite drink, because she loved its sweet taste.

Ally's sister was sitting on the carpet. She was drawing a pair of pink socks. Ally's sister loved the color pink, because she thought it was cute.

Ally's brother was also sitting on the carpet. He was drinking coffee with lots of sugar in it. He loved sugar because it made him feel energetic.

All of the sudden, there was a knock at the door. Ally's sister answered it. When she opened the door, she saw an alligator wearing a suit and tie! Ally's sister screamed, and closed the door.

"Please," the alligator said, "Don't be afraid. I want to draw with you."

Ally's sister opened the door, and the alligator came inside. He sat on the carpet, and started drawing his own pair of pink socks. Ally's sister sat down, and joined him.

Answer the following questions:
1. who was at home ?
2. what was she doing ?
3. and drinking ?
4. what was the sister doing ?
5. drawing what ?
6. what is ally brother doing ?
7. and drinking what ?
8. who was at the door ?
9. who answered the door ?
10. did ally scream ?
11. why?
12. did the alligator want to draw with them ?
A: 1. Ally
2. sitting in her chair
3. yes
4. sitting on the carpet
5. a pair of socks
6. he was also sitting on the carpet
7. coffee
8. an alligator
9. Ally's sister
10. yes
11. because she saw an alligator in a suit and tie
12. yes
Q: Edda, a Little Valkyrie's First Day of School

Written and illustrated by Adam Auerbach.

32 pp. Christy Ottaviano/Holt. $15.50.

Edda's home is in Asgard, "a land full of magic and adventure." But Edda, the littlest Valkyrie, doesn't have quite enough to do, until her father flies her "all the way to Earth for the first day of school."

The contrast between home and school is hard to get used to (in one, she can ride reindeer; in the other she gazes guinea pig through glass at the classroom). In his first picture book, Auerbach mixes the two worlds perfectly. Children are likely to appreciate the joke.

Planet Kindergarten

By Sue Ganz-Schmitt. Illustrated by Shane Prigmore.

32 pp. Chronicle. $14.99.

After careful preparations and a successful blastoff, a boy finds himself in a very unfamiliar environment. "We're aliens from many galaxies on Planet Kindergarten," he reflects as he sees his very varied classmates for the first time.

Prigmore, who designs for the movie industry, uses black backgrounds and bright colors to give this space adventure visual excitement and humor.

The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade

By Justin Roberts. Illustrated by Christian Robinson.

42 pp. Putnam. $18.99.

It makes sense that the author of the long, rhyming lines in "The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade" is a children's music performer. The story is about the power of one small person to fight prejudice.

Sally, whom no one ever seems to notice, is "paying super extra special attention" to the "terrible stuff" happening around her. When she decides to take action, she's not alone for long.

And Two Boys Booed

By Judith Viorst.

32 pp. Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $16.59.

Ever felt quietly confident one minute, and a shaking mess the next? In Viorst's story about determination, a little boy wakes up thinking about singing his song in the class talent show.

Answer the following questions:
1. What book is written by Justin Roberts?
A:
1. The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade