John Winch (1944–2007)

The pictures are delightful and detailed. The old man has such emotion and sweetness to them. He sings or whistles and draws the attention of some of the most interesting animals to listen to him. As he ages though he forgets to sing and thanks to the help of his animal friends they remind him

The illustrations are worthwhile, but I wasn't drawn in by the story and neither was my son. On a second note, some of the pictures were a bit scary for the sensitive: a fire jumps out of the summer page (and the woman's expression is that of being terrified), after which a flood comes. I may have missed the point of this book, but in fact the story was something of a let down for me ...

For someone who loved to read she didn't have much time to do it. Moving to a more peaceful place doesn't always mean it's going to be peaceful. She became busier than ever with all of the chores she had to do. This wasn't one of my favorites; I found it a little boring. But it may be appealing to young children. A teacher may use this book to demonstrate all the things you need to do before you get to do the things you enjoy doing.

great images and simple language make this good for young readers