It's the first day of school.
Howie is worried. Will he find a friend?
With high hopes, Howie goes to robotics club.
But no one chooses him as a partner.

Then Lincoln bounds into the room.
The strange new bird is too big and fluffy.
Howie hides!

The teacher, however, puts the unlikely pair together.
Will they be able to accept each other's wonky ideas and become friends?

For STEM classes, this story emphasizes the discussion of form v. function. It encourages divergent thinking as Lincoln and Howie design a robot. For kids who are rigid and inflexible, they'll see the value of considering different options, and accepting those who are different.

About the Author
Storyteller, writing teacher, Queen of Revisions, and founder of Mims House (www.mimshouse.com) publisher, Darcy Pattison (darcypattison.com/about) has been published in nine languages. Her books, published with Harcourt, Philomel/Penguin, Harpercollins, Arbordale, and Mims House have received recognition for excellence with starred reviews in Kirkus, BCCB and PW. Three nonfiction nature books have been honored as National Science Teacher's Association Outstanding Science Trade books. The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt) received an Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature Honor Book award and has been published in a Houghton Mifflin textbook. The Nantucket Sea Monster (Mims House) is a Junior Library Guild Selection, and a 2018 NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts. She's the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor's Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children's literature.