Book excerpt: One fall day, Roberta, who lives in the country, decides its time to harvest the wild, rare apples she knows should be ripe. This outing was carefully planned; she put on her special shoes, pants with lots of pockets, and a shirt to protect her from the sun and set off with her cat, Kitty Kay, and her dog, Gracie Jane. As the trio start out, Roberta is excited to gather the apples shell need during the winter. When they arrive, Kitty Kay and Gracie Jane do their part helping to collect the fruit to put in the tub. Unfortunately, as they finish, a storm strikes! What can they do to stay safe when a flash flood arrives shortly after the storm ends? Roberta, Kitty Kay, and Gracie Jane rely on instincts and former knowledge to make it through a dangerous situation. This illustrated verse offers a humorous adventure with examples of making correct choices, and features an appendix of facts about key elements in the story to initiate self-guided learning. A second appendix, STRETCH2SMART helps the reader practice skills that promote higher level thinking .