Carl Erik’s father isn’t sure what to do when the rain won’t come, the crops won’t grow, and the cows won’t give milk. When a letter comes from Uncle Axel in America, he and Mamma decide to leave Sweden behind and start a new life. Written as an I-Can-Read-Book (Level 3), the story conveys the emotion, hardship, and excitement of emigrating to America during Sweden’s “hunger years” in 1868-9.