A LONG ROAD ON A SHORT DAY

A boy and his father embark on a special mission.

When Samuel’s mother wishes for “a brown-eyed cow to give us milk for the baby,” Papa takes his best knife and invites Samuel to join him on a search for a cow. Leaving their farm early on a white January morning, Papa reminds Samuel to “keep up” because “it’s a long road and a short day,” a refrain he repeats throughout their journey. At neighbor Snow’s house, Papa trades his knife for two tin lanterns. At the Perrys’ house, he trades the lanterns for a book of poetry. He trades the book for a pitcher at Widow Mitchell’s, and the pitcher for a sheep when they encounter Dr. Fulton. This pattern continues as Papa trades the sheep for a gold pocket watch and the watch for a pony and cart that Samuel would dearly love to keep. Daylight is fading, snow is collecting, Samuel’s cold, and he has kept up with Papa, but will Papa trade the pony and cart for a cow? As the snow intensifies and the serial trading progresses, the momentum and suspense build gradually until father and son reach journey’s end, where Samuel receives a well-deserved reward. Full-page, realistic color illustrations introduce each chapter, tracing their journey from beginning to end in a snowy, rural, largely unmechanized environment evoking a simpler time and place.

Quiet, gentle, satisfying tale of father-son bonding.