Biscuit is a guide dog. Her job is to help Mr Tanaka, who cannot see. Every morning, Biscuit puts on her special harness. Now she is working!

Today they walk to the bakery. At the corner, Biscuit stops. She waits at the edge of the road until it is safe to cross. Then she sees a big puddle on the path. She walks around it, so Mr Tanaka’s shoes stay dry.

At the bakery, Mr Tanaka buys warm bread. “Good girl, Biscuit,” he says softly.

At home, Biscuit takes off her harness. Now it is time to play!

On Monday, a new boy joined Freja’s class in a little town in Norway. His name was Elias. The teacher explained that Elias could not hear, so he talked with his hands, using sign language.

At playtime, Freja wanted to say hello, but she felt shy. What if Elias did not understand her?

She sat next to him on the bench. She smiled and waved. Elias smiled back. Then he lifted his hand to his forehead and moved it away, like a little salute. He pointed at Freja and did it again.

Freja copied him. Elias nodded and clapped. She had just learned her first sign: hello!

Every day after that, Elias taught Freja a new sign: friend, snow, play and her favourite, hot chocolate. Freja taught Elias how to build a snow cave.

Soon the other children wanted to learn too. By the end of winter, the whole class could sign “Good morning” to Elias. And Elias grinned and signed back, “Good morning, friends!”

Every autumn, Mei’s town has a Lantern Night. When the sky turns dark, everybody walks along the river carrying glowing paper lanterns. There are fish lanterns, star lanterns and even a huge dragon lantern carried by ten people.

This year, Mei made her own lantern at school. It was a white rabbit with long ears and pink paper eyes. Mei had worked on it for a whole week.

But just before the parade started, a few drops of rain fell. One drop landed on the rabbit’s ear, and the thin paper tore. Mei’s eyes filled with tears. “Now my rabbit is broken,” she said.

Her neighbour, old Mr Lee, was standing nearby. “Let me see,” he said. He took a roll of clear tape from his pocket and gently fixed the ear. Mei’s friend Bao lent her a little umbrella to keep the lantern dry.

Soon the rain stopped. Mei walked along the river with her rabbit glowing softly. The fixed ear was a little crooked, so the rabbit looked like it was listening. “I think it likes the music,” Mr Lee said with a wink.