(upbeat music) - Hi, everyone.

My name is Mackenzie.

And today, we are going to read "The Girl Who Dances With Skeletons: My Friend Fresno" by Ashley Wellman, illustrated by Zac KinKade.

"I used to be afraid of monsters under my bed.

But now, I welcome them.

I've learned that scary things are often just misunderstood.

Take my best friend, for example.

His name is Fresno and he's a skeleton.

I met him one dark and stormy night when I woke up to a loud bang in my closet.

I slowly opened the door and peered into the darkness.

That's when I saw a little skeleton sitting by himself.

He was so shy and frightened that he tried to hide.

I hugged him and introduced myself.

'Hi, I'm Reagan.'

He smiled and softly replied, 'My name is Fresno.'

He said he used to hang around a classroom where he could watch the children having fun.

He tried to join them, but no one wanted to play with him.

Some kids thought he was too scary.

Others said he was too fragile to play sports.

Even more, called him names like bonehead.

It made him feel sad and lonely.

Did they think he didn't have a heart?

One day, he saw me and thought I might be different.

So, he decided to follow me home.

I knew just what to do.

I invited him into my room to play.

We jumped on my bed, I showed him my toys, and I told him about my favorite things.

That was the last night that Fresno was ever without a friend.

Kids at school think it's silly and weird that my best friend is a skeleton.

Sometimes they tease me, but I don't mind.

Sure.

He's thin, stiff, and a little less lively than some of the other kids I've met, but that doesn't matter to me.

I think the fact that we are different is what makes us special.

For example, I like the water but Fresno prefers to stay bone dry.

I enjoy scary movies, but Fresno goes to pieces.

I have blonde hair and Fresno has, well, no hair at all.

If people got to know him, everyone would want Fresno for a best friend.

He's easy to love.

He's a delightful dinner date.

He lets me have his dessert and eats all my vegetables.

Strange, he never gets full.

He's a magical musician.

He likes it when I sing while he plays the trombone.

He's a great game player.

Dice are his favorite.

He always gets lucky when he rolls the bones.

He's an awesome art critic and loves to watch me paint.

He thinks my work is jaw dropping.

He's a perfect photographer.

He knows how to capture our adventures at just the right angle.

He's an amazing actor.

He never breaks character even when I steal his parts.

He's a dapper dance partner.

He doesn't miss a beat and always lets me take the lead even when I step on his feet.

It took some time, but now I know I'm not the only one who's noticed how special Fresno is.

Once when we were playing with our dog, Sophie, she thought Fresno was her toy.

Before I could help, another kid showed up to give Fresno a hand.

Since then, we've made so many new friends.

But most importantly, Fresno has started to love himself.

I must admit, I've learned a lot from Fresno too.

He taught me it's great just being yourself and it doesn't matter if we come from the same type of family or look the same or like the same things.

Sometimes our greatest friends are the ones we least expect.

Make no bones about it."

(upbeat music)