Ten-year-old Danny yearns for responsibility and a chance to prove his skills. He desperately wants to pitch in and ease the difficulties that pioneer life presents to his family as they manage their large fruit and livestock farm in 1894.

Life on the farm is hard, though, and Danny, with his unusually small stature, struggles to gain strength to help his father and the hired hands. After all, there are difficult chores to tackle: chopping and hauling wood, caring for the workhorses, slopping the pigs, and hunting food.

With sheer determination, Danny takes on everything his father allows, working hard to help ensure his family's well-being. What Danny comes to realize, though, is that it's not a person's size that counts. When he confronts a rogue cougar, runaway horses, and a classroom bully, Danny must use his wits, sensibilities, and instincts to prevail.

Fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder will find Danny's adventures particularly satisfying. Come along with Danny as he learns about both the harsh realities and simple pleasures of rural life in New York.