Though this book is not written in the first person, it is a true account of a wild baby Chipping Sparrow that the author and her husband raised in their home and befriended for two years. This story may be helpful to others in feeding and caring for a wild bird, especially a baby bird, and understanding that they, too, have personalities and ways of communicating their wants, likes and dislikes. There are as few character descriptions as possible in order not to distract from this little Chipping Sparrow who won everyone's heart.

In August 1928, Annie and Henry Kenoyer decided it was in the best interest of their family to move to Maine from their home in Iowa with their ten children, ages one to seventeen. They were a migrant family, having already moved twenty-six times throughout South Dakota and Iowa, but this 1400-mile trip, in two1920s vehicles, would prove a challenge to them all . . . not the least of their concerns were food (or lack of it) and places to camp for the night, out in the open, vulnerable to all weather conditions. This is a true story told from the perspective of eight-year-old Ruth Elizabeth Kenoyer, the seventh of the ten Kenoyer children.