A Long Road on a Short Day

It is a cold winter day when Samuel’s mother announces she wishes they had a brown-eyed cow to give them milk for Samuel’s baby sister. Father takes down his best knife and asks Samuel to come with him. They must travel a long road on a short day. They visit a nearby farm, where the neighbor’s collie makes Samuel wish his mother wanted something other than a brown-eyed cow. There, Father trades his knife for a pair of lanterns. They walk toward town and visit other members of their community, Father trading each thing he gets at the last place for something better. He even trades for a pony and cart that Samuel thinks is pretty neat, but they have one more stop to make, where Samuel gets a wonderful surprise.

This sweet story will give young readers a taste of old-fashioned country life and how simply people can live. The writing by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney is terrific with a refrain that will carry readers through, and the story and lovely art by Eugene Yelchin will transport young readers to another time and place. This is a great book for young middle-graders.