Arthur, For the Very First Time by Patricia MacLachlan

The summer that he is 10, Arthur is sent to his Uncle Wrisby and Aunt Elda's farm, where he learns that there is more than one way to look at the world. An enchanting, amusing and timeless story about family relationships and coping with difficult emotions. I like the pet chicken, Pauline, who prefers to be addressed in French.

Readers who loved MacLachlan's Sarah, Plain and Tall will find an almost identical side-story here, about a mother who died in childbirth and the mail-order bride who arrived to take her place.