Franklin the turtle is excited to be spending two whole nights at his best friend Bear's house! They have so much fun together playing outdoors and making cool snow dragons. But even though Franklin is having lots of fun with Bear, some things at Bear's house make him a little bit uncomfortable. "I'm just not used to things around here," Franklin tells his friend. "And I miss my family. I wish they could be here with me." Luckily for Franklin, Bear and his parents understand what he's going through. And with a lot of kindness and some clever ideas, they manage to help Franklin deal with his sadness and start to feel at home. As with all the Franklin books, this one perfectly captures a difficult experience that is commonly faced by young children, in this case that of spending time away from home.

Kindergarten and preschool children will recognize and relate to the conflicting emotions Franklin has. They, too, are likely enjoying some newfound independence away from their families, while still yearning for the comfort and familiarity of home after time away. Well-known from the very popular 3D-animated television series Franklin and Friends, the lovable character Franklin is a welcome guest in any classroom and a big hit at storytime. This book offers an excellent opportunity for a class discussion on the subjects of independence or fear. It would also work well for character education lessons about compassion, empathy and kindness.