Frederick the field mouse sat on the old stone wall while his four brothers gathered food for the approaching winter days. The other mice felt that Frederick was not doing his share of the work, but when the food ran out, Frederick saved the day with that he had gathered.

Five further adventures of two best friends as they share cookies, plant a garden, and test their bravery.

Text and detailed drawings follow the planning and construction of a magnificent Gothic cathedral in the imaginary French town of Chutreaux during the thirteenth century. The craftsmen were the master quarryman, the master stone cutter, the master sculptor, the master mortar maker, the master mason, the master carpenter, the master blacksmith, the master roofer, and the master glass maker.

On her way to deliver a basket of food to her sick grandmother, Elisabeth encounters a sly wolf.

A round of uneasy hospitality results when Mouse and Dog arrive at Cat's house for dinner.

A lullaby which asks animals such as a lizard, monkey, and water-buffalo to be quiet and not disturb the sleeping baby.

To keep from being eaten, an inchworm measures a robin's tail, a flamingo's neck, a toucan's beak, a heron's legs, and a nightingale's song.