Tells the story of the Meadow family and the life they lead in the quiet country town of Blue Hill, Virginia.

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

When Anne Shirley 'erupts' into their lives, the Cuthberts little guess how fond they will become of the skinny, red-haired orphan. Both entertained and exasperated by her constant chatter and imaginings, they soon find it hard to remember what Green Gables was like without its irrepressible adopted daughter.

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.

Sal, a very big girl, cannot sew a quilt like Gran's no matter how hard she tries, but eventually she finds that her talents lie elsewhere.

A young boy describes the favorite places that he shares with his family on his grandparents' farm and in the nearby countryside.

City cats and country cats engage in typical activities, including riding bicycles, selling peanuts, driving tractors, and feeding hens.

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

Maybelle, Jack, and Eddie want to help Ma by putting something extra on the table, so they set out in the dark to take potatoes from a nearby field, but when they arrive home and empty their potato sacks, they are surprised by what they see.

When Iris moves to the country, she misses the city where she formerly lived; but with the help of a new friend named Walter, she learns to adjust to her new home.