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Based in the author's experiences of her father's return from a war, this sophisticated, evocative story still resonates. Lizzie goes out with her dad to call crows, the pests that eat the family’s crops. Call them Lizzie does but her father decides not to shoot them. Atmospheric illustrations further distinguish this timeless story.

The Civil War and the soldiers in Washington, D.C., infiltrated the play of Tad and Willie on the grounds of the White House. And their father still takes time to pardon one of the boy's toy soldiers!

The Great Depression changed everything for 11-year-old Oscar and his widowed dad. Oscar's prized model trains are sold, his dad leaves Illinois to find work in California, and Oscar begins an adventure through time and places after he jumps onto a model train.