Josh McBroom relates how he and his family harness the rambunctious prairie wind.

"It; s true, I did tell a lie once, " says McBroom. But it's not about the cold snap that froze sunlight to the ground. Or even about the time the McBroom chickens ate lightning bugs and glowed so bright, they used them as lanterns. Whatever it is, it's bound to be laugh-out-loud funny, as his name is Josh McBroom. Illustrations. Age 7-10.

Presents three humorous adventures on McBroom's wonderful one-acre prairie farm

When the Big Drought on the prairie causes cows to give powdered milk and mosquitoes to grow almost as large as small cowsheds, McBroom comes up with a novel idea for producing rain. Illustrations.

The McBrooms start a zoo with the Sidehill Gouger, Desert Vamooser, Silver-tailed Teakettler, and other rare animals left behind by a passing tornado.

Grampa's menagerie of pets are rubbed the wrong way when a needy little critter arrives in this lighthearted chapter book. Grampa Bender wouldn't be able to run the Bed and Biscuit animal boardinghouse without the help of Ernest the pig, Gabby the mynah bird, and Milly the cat. In fact, the three animals have always thought of themselves as Grampa's family — and they assumed he felt the same way. But when Grampa comes home with a mysterious bundle and stops paying attention to his loyal companions, they start to question his affections. Engaging illustrations by Noah Z. Jones, capturing every endearing trait of this oddball family, complement Joan Carris's humorous, heartwarming book for middle-grade readers.