Deborah Diesen

Willa has a whale of a problem. Willa the whale's a worrywart. She feels timid about raising her fin in class: What if she takes too long to answer or, worse, gets it wrong? When her teacher calls on her encouragingly, Willa remains silent. Whew! That worked; she's saved. But Willa begins to reflect on the teacher's comment to the class: "It isn't always easy / To share the things we know, / But ideas, thoughts, and questions / Are the way we learn...