Newbery Medal Honor Title (1947)

The author writes out of her own experiences as a young girl on a Colorado ranch and, though her story dates with the turn of the century, she has somehow given it a highly personal yet timeless quality. There's Daddy Martin, who understands things so well; there's his merry wife and his daughter, Ellen; together they form a staunch, sensitive trio of highly civilized people. This "wonderful year" was one of adjustment to a new life, of living in a tent while the house was built, of planting and watching things grow, of learning to ride a bicycle, of discovering a country -- and of growing. There are gentle, strong values, substantial humor, a pleasant sense of ease, a nostalgic quality of "emotion remembered in tranquility" that is all too rare.

- Kirkus Review