In her new home on the American prairie, Nora misses the hills and trees of her Russian homeland, but also people. "There's no one to talk to." Susannah is a girl who lives in a distant house, but even though she visits with her mother, and waves when Nora and her father drive by in the wagon, both girls are too shy to make it a friendship. A small stray dog presents a possibility for companionship, but he'd much rather play with Nora's little brother. Then her father brings home chicks and two geese "for eating." Nora stubbornly insists the chicks are too beautiful to eat, and her father gives them to her. "Something all your own." The chicks become chickens that follow Nora around. She's still lonely, just not quite as lonely, until the day Susannah and her mother return a missing chicken. Nora's shyness disappears, and her friendship with Susannah blossoms. A lyrically told story captures loneliness and longing that a loving family cannot fully ease but a newly made friend can soothe. Graceful watercolor illustrations show the beauty and isolation of the prairie and the warmth of Nora's family. (Ages 4-8)

From Newbery Medalist Patricia MacLachlan comes a reassuring story about new beginnings and making friends.

Nora and her family have just arrived from Russia and are making a new home on the American frontier. The prairie is very different from the forested hills Nora is used to. Most of all, it’s lonely. Papa has the cows he sings to as he milks them. Baby brother Milo has a dog to follow him wherever he goes. But Nora has no one and nothing to call her own until Papa brings home a dozen chicks and two geese. Nora names each one, and they follow her everywhere — even to church! But what will happen when one of her beloved chicks goes missing?