Meet Mocha — the world's most curious chocolate scientist

She was the OG. I had always thought chocolate labrador retrievers were beautiful and hoped that someday I might have one of my own. Mocha was a wedding gift from my beautiful wife, Jenn, and I loved her as if she were our child. We did everything together, and she never left my side. When I was teaching high school science, she was there planning with me. When I was working on my doctorate in science education, she sat beside me on the couch. She was my Science Lab — smart, curious, and loving — and in these stories, Mocha takes her place as the main character.

When Mocha got older and Samantha and Joey started school, we thought a friend would keep her company and help her stay active. Honey was described as a bulldog and boxer mix, though we always thought she was more likely an American pit bull and boxer mix. She was as sweet as honey and became Mocha's companion whenever we were not around. She also had an underbite that showed only half of her teeth, so the children started calling her "Half."

When Mocha walked over the rainbow bridge, Honey, or "Half," needed a new friend. Around that time, a Facebook connection was fostering Labrador puppies, and that is how we met George. He soon became part of the pack. George was very timid at first and was happy to let Honey lead the way.

When it was Honey's time to walk over the rainbow bridge, George needed someone to play with, and we found Gracie online. She was mostly English bulldog with a smidge of boxer, and because her owner did not see a need for her, we brought her home and added her to the pack. Her full English bulldog underbite gave her the nickname "Full."

George left us way too soon to join Mocha and Honey on the other side of the rainbow bridge. Like the others before her, Gracie needed a friend, so we rescued Chester. We thought he was a Labrador, but it turned out he was part pit bull and part hound. He was the most curious dog, with an incredible sense of smell, and we started calling him "Inspector Hound" because on our walks he would zigzag back and forth, inspecting everything along the way.

Ms. Concepcion is a fictional character whose name plays on the word misconception — an incorrect understanding of a scientific idea. In science, a misconception is a commonly held belief about how the natural world works that conflicts with established scientific evidence. These ideas often come from everyday experiences, cultural myths, or misunderstandings learned along the way. Throughout these books, Ms. Concepcion shares her mistaken theories, and Mocha gently helps set the science straight.