By Patricia MacLachlan

Caleb doesn't remember Mama, who died a day after he was born. But his older sister, Anna, says Papa and Mama sang "every-single-day." Now Papa doesn't sing at all. Papa places an ad in the newspaper for a wife and he receives an answer from a woman named Sarah, who lives in Maine. Caleb wants to know if Sarah snores. Anna wants to know if Sarah can braid hair and make stew and -- most important of all -- if she sings. Sarah writes, "I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall." An so Caleb, Anna, and Papa wait.

Sarah comes in the spring with her cat, whom she calls Seal because she is gray like the seals that swim in the sea near her home. Everyone hopes she will stay. But Sarah misses the sea, her brother, and the "three old aunts who all squawk together like crows at dawn." When Sarah takes the wagon to town alone, Caleb and Anna worry. What happens tells much about happiness and hope, and what it is that makes a family.

By Patricia MacLachlan

When Sarah came to the prairie, Anna and her brother, Caleb, worried that she would not stay. But Sarah fell in love with Caleb and Anna, and with Jacob, their father. Together they sang and swam and worked the land. But that was before the drought. Now, when Caleb sets out a glass to catch and measure the rainfall, the way Sarah's aunts in Maine do, it only fills with dust. "We'd never leave, Sarah," Jacob says. "Our names are written in this land." But the prairie is a long way from what Sarah knows as home, where the ocean is, and the land is green, and it rains. When the drought forces Sarah to return to Maine with Anna and Caleb, leaving Jacob behind, Anna wonders if they will ever be a family again.

By Patricia MacLachlan

Could anything be more perfect than a prairie wedding? Cassie doesn't think so, for a wedding brings: Two lovebirds together, aunts from faraway Maine, a long white dress with a wedding veil, Zinnias, satin ribbons, dancing under a clear blue sky, and a world that smells of roses. And as the Witting family comes together for this most special day, Cassie sees that life brings: the change of seasons, brother Jack on Grandfather's lap, a brand-new car, joy, sorrow, and a special dance only Grandfather does. Sarah, Plain and Tall began the Witting family's saga on the prairie. Now the story completes its circle with Grandfather's Dance, Patricia MacLachlan's poetic celebration about the enduring spirit of family.

By Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrated by Amanda Shepherd

A wise cat knows the answer to her big question. And before the girl can drift off to sleep, she needs to hear about the family and friends who care about her. This tender ode to unconditional love and reassurance by Newbery Medal winner Patricia MacLachlan is brought to life by Amanda Shepherd's beautiful illustrations. It is a bedtime ritual to share again and again.

By Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrated by Mike Wimmer

On the day Eli is born, his grandmother holds him up to the window, so that what he hears first is the wind, and what he sees first are all the places to love: the valley, the river falling down over rocks, the hilltop where blueberries grow. Everyone in Eli's family has a favorite place, and Eli will grow up knowing that no matter where the rest of his life takes him, all the places to love are right here, connected to a way of life that has time for affection and simple pleasures.

By Patricia MacLachlan & Emily MacLachlan
Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

Nigel is a cat. He loves to chase mice and scratch rugs. Julia is a dog. She loves treats and bones and sleeping. They don't need anything else...

...but now they've got Bittle. (She's a new baby.)

By Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest
Illustrated by Katy Schneider

It's a dog's life. Filled with squeaky toys, mischief, and plenty of naps. Every dog has a tail to wag and a tale to tell. Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest asked this collection of canines to speak up with their own words, barks, and yips.

By Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan
Illustrated by Katy Schneider

On an island, surrounded by water and light, a young boy waits for the sun to shine, and for his friends, the painters, to return. They all come to the island to paint when the days are long and their dogs can run free. The young boy watches and learns. This summer he will try to do what he has never done before. He will try to paint the wind. The words of Newbery Medal-winning, bestselling author Patricia MacLachlan and her daughter, Emily, are brought to life by the exquisite paintings of Katy Schneider in this beautiful story about holding on to the perfect moments of summer in a place that you love.

By Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrated by Barry Moser

Mama and Papa say it's time to leave the prairie, to start over somewhere new. But what about all that will be left behind? Things as familiar as a heartbeat - an ocean of grass, an endless sky, a cottonwood tree. How do you remember those things that can't be packed up and taken away with you? Maybe it's true what Papa says. Maybe you'll remember because the place you know first stays with you forever, no matter where you may go.