Whether describing the zestful decking of the church for the Harvest Festival or the wicked wisdom of a child confessing to breaking a skylight window, Miss Read captures the scenes of village school life and of childhood itself with humorous understanding of human foibles and a love of nature that have long endeared her to readers. Fresh and beautifully written, these stories led to the writing of Miss Read's popular novels set in the villages of Fairacre and Thrush Green.