Drawing on childhood days spent at his grandparents' New England farm, the author tells of a community of animals who gather around the old trysting tree, led by Nimrod, the old crow, with Cock-Robin, Bob the Rabbit, squirrels Frisk and Frolic, and many others. Stories of bright summer days and the camaraderie of friends are mixed with tales of danger and fear as the little foresters live out their lives in the woods.