Maggie, Grandmother and Mr. Whiskers welcome a new family to Cranberryport in this sweet picture-book from 1994. While Mrs. Reed appeals to Grandmother for help, when the cellar in their new house floods (it's Mr. Whiskers to the rescue, of course!), Maggie befriends her daughter, Annie. Although shy at first, and unhappy at the move, Annie is cheered by a day on the New England shore with Maggie, and the entire Reed family eventually settle happily into their new home...

Having read and enjoyed all nine of Wende and Harry Devlin's full-sized Cranberryport picture-books, published from 1971 (Cranberry Thanksgiving) through 1993 (Cranberry Autumn), I have been eager to track down some of the smaller, paperback picture-books published in 1994 and 1995. Cranberry Moving Day is the first of these, and although I wouldn't say I enjoyed it quite as much as some of the earlier ones, I still found it charming, appreciating the vintage-style illustrations, and wholesome story. These later books in the series can be difficult to track down—I had to obtain my copy through inter-library loan—but, if this one is anything to judge by, are worth the effort. Recommended to Cranberryport fans, and to picture-book readers looking for reassuring stories about moving to a new town. ( )