Franklin must decide whether to hide his new bike helmet and not ride in the safety rally or to wear it and risk being ridiculed by his friends.

Franklin has a bad day when he is scolded at home and at school. Even his friends let him down. So when he gets home, he snatches up his stuffed dog, Sam, and goes off to find a new home and new friends. But as he walks along, memories of good times come flooding back, making him realize he'll never find a better family or better friends than he already has.

Franklin wants to be like all the bigger kids at the park.

When Franklin and Bear and their fathers go on a canoe trip, they must swallow their disappointment and search for a less crowded place to explore.

Franklin decides he needs a nickname if is going to be a famous athlete, but his friends tell him he can't pick his own, others get to decide what it will be.