The rugged hills of Vermont look down upon a quaint Village called Cavendish. Its most famous citizen, the brown-bearded Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Russian dissident, lives just downhill from the Parson family, the Story's main characters. Mother and father Parsons have twins: seven-year-old Betsy and William. Today, on the first of May, each are attending a May Day celebration at Greven Park.
After the children have eaten their breakfast, their mother makes sure that each has their cute little May Day baskets to give to their assigned classmate partner as dad quietly toils on the family farm.
Upon arriving at school, the entire first-grade class loads up on the School Bus to frolic about at Greven Park. As they walk onto the Park's baseball field, they see a pastel-colored, crepe-papered pole with a grand total of nine arms laying gently in a circle around the centered apparatus. Outside the baseball's left field fence winds the Great Brook that twists and turns through town that eventually meets up with the rambunctious Ominous Black River.
The Principal and the school administrative staff chaperone the rambunctious youth as they scamper to and fro beneath the late morning sun. One gets the feeling that the "Rite of Spring" has taken hold of the day as birds chirp, bees buzz, and butterflies flitter about above the Brook's swirling waters.
Soon thereafter, everyone scampers over to the baseball field's infield diamond where a prepared bagged lunch is handed out. "After You finish eating, put all your garbage into those huge garbage trash bags... And, do not throw any trash around. We want to keep the Park clean so that we can make more trips in the future here. Alright, Let's Go!."
The eighteen students join their partners as they grab hold of their tethered paper arms. In unison, they walk slowly around the Great May Pole...
They then exchange their baskets with their partner and laugh openly as the timeless Histories of the Great Indian Nations quietly look on from afar...
Now, all the children board the Bus as visions of Summer Vacations come to mind. The Parsons Twins have their own ideas: Betsy is smart and confident. Her mother has introduced her to Shakespeare and each trekk to Stowe, Vermont to dabble with antiques and to catch some time away from the farm.
William does not take to reading and writing, and arithmetic. Working with dad around the farm suits him much better as the Great Outdoors is just a.step away... Since his friend Sam has moved away, he has nobody to play with. Now, what is little William to do?
"I need a dog." You know 'man's best friend'. That dog could even herd up the chickens. How about a Great Pyrenees to hang out with? Yes, he thinks, "that would be great!" Little William and his Big New Friend, 'King'!.
