In the year before they become the orphans known as the Boxcar children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden live with their parents at Fair Meadow Farm, where, although times are hard, they take in a family who has been stranded in their car during a blizzard.

A dog's attempts to cool off on a hot day get him into trouble with a series of people and finally lead him to interrupt a country wedding.

After a thief steals Old Granny's beans while she is asleep at night, she gets some surprising help with catching him.

Elliot the little elephant and his best friend, Mouse, play hide-and-seek during an autumn vacation in the countryside.

Black and white illustrations and text record the sights on a day trip to the city and back home again to the country. The trip to the city is read from front to back and the return trip from back to front, upside down.

Unable to sleep on the night of a full moon, a young boy follows the sound of music across the fields and finds an unusual barn dance in progress.

Little Ree is excited about her move from the city to a ranch, and even though she finds that life on a ranch can be tough, it also has its good points.

Katy Mouse teaches her younger brother, Tiny, the names of some of the things they see, including a boot, a snail, and a pheasant, when they go to the cornfield to play games.

Egged on by the cat next door, a chicken from the city visits the country to see what she's been missing, and finds that it's not "all it's cracked up to be."

Text and illustrations describe the sights and sounds of nighttime in the country.