Twelve-year-old Reena doesn’t know what to expect when she moves from the city to a small Maine town with her parents and younger brother, Luke. She definitely didn’t anticipate having to help their eccentric new neighbor, Mrs. Falala, with her menagerie of animals. Prickly Mrs. Falala doesn’t act as if she wants Reena and Luke around, but gradually a genuine friendship develops between them. A relationship also develops between Reena and Mrs. Falala’s Belted Galloway cow, Zora, whom Reena learns to care for and prepares to show at the fair. When an unexpected death occurs, Reena and Luke are able to temper their sadness with the richness of their new friendships and their recently developed passion for animals. The spare style of this novel in verse accentuates the credible development of trusting bonds between and among humans and their animals. (Ages 9–12)