Best friends George and Abigail have always found ways to enjoy being together. George plays the maracas while Abigail dances the cha-cha, and Abigail poses while George paints her portrait. So when Abigail sees a chance to indulge her ultimate passion—spelling—George is right there to help her study for the City Fair Spelling Bee. Confident Abigail can’t wait for her chance to shine and has never considered the possibility that she could be stumped. But she’s eliminated from the spelling bee in one humiliating turn on her first word (“elephant”). Crushed by defeat, Abigail mopes until George reminds her of her strengths. Abigail in turn acknowledges the importance of George’s friendship. Abigail is a bird and George is a bear, but their supportive relationship and example of how enthusiasm doesn’t always equal success reflect common childhood experiences of the human variety. (Ages 5–9)