On his way to the market when Albert opts for the short cut, instead of the "long, long way," his simple acts of hanging his jacket on a post, hitching his horse June to a railroad switch, and cutting a rope that blocks his path, set off a chain reaction of events that spell disaster for others. A delightful cause-and-effect story is told in just 52 short sentences spread out over nine chapters and an epilogue. Most of the plot, however, unfolds in the pictures which require a careful reading in order to make sense of how and why things happen as they do. Honor Book, 1995 CCBC Caldecott Award Discussion (Ages 4-10)

Albert and his trusty mare, June, set off early on market day to sell their melons in town, thus beginning a mysterious chain of events in a thought-provoking journey that exposes ordinary life as an intricate sequence of action and reaction.