They share their secrets and dreams, and help each other be strong when beloved Mother must leave to nurse Father, who is wounded in the Civil War. The passing years bring more adventures and romance—the first wedding, a broken heart, a trip to Europe—and the girls are young women. This book shows vividly the joys of growing up in a loving family.Cover illustration by Al Leiner.-from the back cover

    Set in coal mines and remote farm cabins, in hidden hollows and on mountain tops, some of these stories look back to the days when West Virginia was first settled; others reflect the rancor and brutality of the Civil War. But most of these tales guide us through the recent past of the uncommonly rich folk heritage of West Virginia. This

    Vacationing detective Eleanor Owl is determined to find out who it is. Could it be . . . the hotelkeeper (a turkey who loves his hotel); Foster Pig (a cantankerous porcine fellow); Don Coyote (a dapper gentleman of delicate health); The Squirrel Twins (who appreciate a racket and a good "furry dipping"); Miss Marietta Chicken (a fowl lady, though more serene than most chickens); or the mysterious Cootie family from Puddle Rapids? Beginning readers are sure to have great fun and more than a few laughs sleuthing out the mysterious culprit.

    Describes a variety of plants with unusual characteristics including those that give off light and those that eat insects.

    Captured and trained to be a marineland sensation, Kilroy, a killer whale, escapes to life on the open sea with his friend Morris the sea gull.

    She quickly befriends Donald and Ronald, but is repeatedly frustrated by her inability to tell them apart. After she and the boys have several adventures together--some of which involve her deliberately trying to fashion ways to tell them apart--she finds that knowing who's who becomes second nature.

    Young Clint's ingenious scheme foils a villainous train wrecker's attempt to rob the circus train.