After twelve years of wrestling with the conflicts of retirement, Father Tim Kavanagh realizes he doesn't need a steady job to prove himself. Then he's given one. As for what it proves, heaven only knows. It's life as usual in Mitford. A beloved town character lands a front-page obituary, but who was it, exactly, who died? And what about the former mayor, born the year Lindbergh landed in Paris, who is still running for office? All this, of course,...

When Froggy, Mom, and Pollywogilina set out for the library, Froggy brings a wheelbarrow to hold all the books he plans to borrow but he is so excited that he forgets to use his indoor voice

Bear's animal friends come to his rescue when he becomes lost and frightened in the woods

Though Father Tim dislikes change, he dislikes retirement even more. When he decides to take on a difficult ministry, he begins to think he likes change -- until an unexpected event propels him on a journey that shakes his faith, his marriage, and the whole town of Mitford

Over the course of twelve Mitford novels, fans have kept a special place in their hearts for Dooley Kavanagh, first seen in At Home in Mitford as a barefoot, freckle-faced boy in filthy overalls. Now, Father Tim Kavanagh's adopted son has graduated from vet school and opened his own animal clinic. Since money will be tight for a while, maybe he and Lace Harper, his once and future soul mate, should keep their wedding simple. So the plan is to eliminate...

When Bear is too sick to play, his animal friends go to his cave to make him soup and tea and keep him company

On a cold winter night many animals gather to party in the cave of a sleeping bear, who then awakes and protests that he has missed the food and the fun

Bear and his friends persuade a bashful owl to play with them

Froggy and friends enjoy a back-to-school ritual: a trip to the pumpkin patch. Froggy can't wait to pick a pumpkin. He plans to carve a jack-o'-lantern and make a pumpkin pie. Prizes are given for the biggest, smallest, and prettiest pumpkin, but when Froggy trips and smashes his pumpkin, he takes home a special prize--for the ugliest pumpkin!

When Bear discovers he has a loose tooth, his friends try to help make it fall out