Frances in the Country

A spirited girl visits her cousins in the country for a chance to break free from the clamor and crowd of life in the city.


Frances is a city kid, but it's hard for her to fit in. City walls aren't for climbing, city rooms aren't for running, city shops and city yards are too crowded, and there are so many rules that Frances can't seem to follow.

She takes a trip to visit her cousins in the country, where she finds cats for chasing, roads for racing down, ladders for leaping, and fields full of animals. When it's time to go home, it's not easy to leave her cousins, but she invites them to visit and see the sights and sounds, lights, thumps, beeps and shines of the city where she returns to her loving mom and sisters.

Liz Garton Scanlon is author of the Caldecott Honor book All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee, and many other books including Bob, Not Bob, illustrated by Matt Cordell, and Another Way to Climb A Tree, illustrated by Hadley Hooper, With Frances in the Country, she deftly balances the appeals of city and country life.

Sean Qualls is the Coretta Scott King Honor artist for Before John Was a Jazz Giant, Emmanuel's Dream, and Giant Steps to Change the World.