The Big First-Grader and the Small Second-Grader

Masaya is a shy boy who depends on his friend Akiyo, a second-grader, to help him walk to school. Though he’s tall, the dark path through a grove of trees scares him too much to face alone. When a flower Akiyo is holding falls apart, Masaya wants to make her smile again. But the only place to find bellflowers is a distant field under a lone pine tree-and getting there will be even scarier than his usual walk to school.