When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.
An old red oak tree tells how he and his crow friend, Bongo, help their human neighbors get along after a threat against an immigrant family is carved into the tree's trunk.
Roscoe Riley really wants to be on his best behavior for the class field trip to the apple orchard, but when his sister's magic ball falls into a vat of applesauce, he has no choice but to try get it back.
Roscoe is determined to guess the weight of a giant pumpkin in order to win books for his school library and candy for himself, but is overwhelmed by superstitions, especially about a certain black kitten.
Determined to win a trophy of some kind, first-grader Roscoe swaps a hand-knitted sweater from his grandmother for the chance to enter his new neighbor's very clever dog in a trick contest.
Having gotten a pair of hard-to-find Walkie Talkie shoes, Roscoe is suddenly popular and wants his best friend, Gus, to join the fun, but before Gus's parents will buy him new shoes, he must wear out his long-lasting sneakers.
When first-grader Roscoe discovers that his stuffed pig is missing from his backpack, he accuses the class bully of "pig-napping" and gets even by taking the bully's teddy bear.
An old red oak tree tells how he and his crow friend, Bongo, help their human neighbors get along after a threat against an immigrant family is carved into the tree's trunk.
Roscoe Riley, upset with the notion that his teacher could get in trouble, comes up with a plan to keep the bee antennae on the first graders' heads, and help the drummers stay in their seats for the open house play.