Meet the authors and the illustrator -- The story in brief -- Word attack skills: Consonant sounds ; Compound words ; Short vowels ; Vowel teams ; Rhyming words ; Base words ; R-controlled words -- Comprehension skills: Homophones ; Antonyms and synonyms ; Cause and effect ; Pronouns ; What's the story? ; More than one meaning ; Thinking about the story -- Character education: Setting a goal (hard work) ; Create a class cheer (enthusiasm and team spirit) ; New friendly interview (friendship) ; L-O-Y-A-L-T-Y challenge (loyalty) ; Help wanted! (cooperation) ; Remote control (self-control) ; Playground alert (alertness) ; Eraser action (action and determination) ; Race to personal success (fitness) ; Silky's verse (skill) ; Introduce yourself! (poise and confidence) ; Personal best pledge ; Pyramid of success -- Project ideas -- Answer key.