Shane and Peter spend a wonderful holiday on their grandfather's farm. They help him pick mushrooms in the early, misty morning. They water the roses and help build a path. They gather eggs and watch the swans on the river. Pappa plays his accordion for them and 'scraps of music linger in their heads'. It is only days after their visit that the telephone call comes to say that Pappa has died. The boys go back to the farm with all the family, and they find everything the same, only not so. At bedtime Peter is afraid. Mum says, 'Pappa loved you. Think of all the happy times you had.' Lyrical words and pictures in soft, pastel colours manage to evoke both sadness and hope.