Emma needs to write a poem for a school assignment, but she would rather go outside with Dixie and enjoy a snowy day.

"Little Ree trades in her city days for a country way of life when she moves with her family to her grandparents' ranch. She's excited to ride horses, swim in the pond, and help Grandma cook for everyone. But on her first day, she finds that living on a ranch can be tough. She has to get up at the crack of dawn, learn to herd cows, and make sure her horse, Pepper, doesn't eat everything in sight. And that's all before breakfast! Will she ever get...

Fourth-grader Calvin flies from Oahu to the big island of Hawaii to go on a deep-sea fishing trip with Ledward, his mother's boyfriend, and learns to appreciate other living creatures-- especially one enormous marlin.