The author recalls his carefree life in a small midwestern town at the close of World War I, and his adventures with his pet raccoon, Rascal.

Merry Christmas, Splat: Splat is trying hard to be good before Santa's arrival so he can get all the presents he's dreamed of on Christmas day! Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas: It's Christmas Eve and Fletcher wonders how Santa will find his burrow through all the snow. Snowflake Bentley: Willie Bentley loves and learns all about snowflakes. Owl Moon: A girl and her father search the moonlit woods for the great horned owl.

Hardly had man solved his basic problems on the planet of his origin than he began to fumble into space. Barely a century had elapsed in the exploration of the Solar System than he began to grope for the stars. And suddenly, with an all but religious zeal, mankind conceived its fantasy dream of populating the galaxy. Never in the history of the race had fervor reached such a peak and held so long. The question of why was seemingly ignored. Millions...