This lyrical journey through the changing seasons and passing years in the life of one New Englander and his family captures both the peace and the bustling energy of nineteenth-century America.

"After achieving his dream of becoming a knight, a small owl protects the castle from a hungry dragon"--Verso page.

Tells the stories of a selfish lion, lovesick ostrich, greedy hippopotamus, vain rhinoceros, proud camel, the timid duck sisters, and others, and the lessons that they learned.

"A tiny fish proudly wears a blue hat. It fits him perfectly. Problem is, trouble could be following close behind... So it's a good thing that the enormous fish he took it from won't wake up. And even if he does, it's not as though he'll ever know what happened, right?"--

Max, a naughty little boy, sent to bed without his supper, sails to the land of the wild things where he becomes their king.

Little Bear and Sal both go berrying with their mothers, but after sitting down to rest, they each end up following the other one's mother.

"Driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's parents stop suddenly when they spot something growing in a ditch by the side of the road ... watercress!  With an old paper bag and some rusty scissors, the whole family wades into the muck to collect as much of the muddy, snail-covered plant as they can.  At first, it's embarrassing.  Why can't her family get food at the grocery store?  But when her mother shares the story of her family's...

"An imaginary friend waits a long time to be imagined by a child and given a special name, and finally does the unimaginable--he sets out on a quest to find his perfect match in the real world."--

"Praised for acting like a big girl when she is small, as a young girl grows, "big" becomes a word of criticism, until the girl realizes that she is fine just the way she is"--