Originally published in 1959 by E.P. Dutton

Author's preface -- I hole up in a snowstorm -- I get started on this venture -- I find Gribley's farm -- I find many useful plants -- This old, old tree -- I meet one of my own kind and have a terrible time getting away -- The king's provider -- What I did about the man who was after me -- I learn to season my food -- How a door came to me -- Frightful learns her ABC's -- I find a real live man -- The autumn provides food and loneliness -- We all learn about Halloween -- I find out what to do with hunters -- Trouble begins -- I pile up wood and go on with winter -- I learn about birds and people -- I have a good look at winter and find spring in the snow -- The spring in the winter and the beginning of my story's end -- I cooperate with the ending -- The city comes to me

A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship

Newbery Honor Book award