Told in rhyme, a bear settles on the narrator's porch, and is soon followed by many other woodland friends, until the porch collapses under the weight--but bear and his friends repair the damage and almost everybody is invited to lunch.
Relates Sally Jane's experience of changing times in rural America, as she lives through the drowning of the Swift River towns in western Massachusetts to form the Quabbin Reservoir.
A cat whose kitten days are far behind her says goodbye to her human family, and the animals and places that have made her life special, before leaving this life behind.
"A scarecrow happily dances away from his post one windy night, until a child's prayer teaches him how important he is to the farm."--Title page verso.