Few storytellers have captured the hearts of young readers the way James Herriot has. The beloved country veterinarian's books for children have delighted a generation of youngsters with the same warmth and country wisdom their parents came to love in All Creatures Great and Small. Now, Herriot and award-winning illustrator Ruth Brown introduce their newest four-footed hero—Smudge, a black-and-white lamb who one day finds himself without a way home.

Three walls surround the field where Farmer Cobb keeps is flock, but on the fourth side there is only a post-and-wire fence. One spring day, Smudge finds a way under the fence, and scampers down the country lane and over the fields, gazing in wonder at the new world outside his little home. But when he can't slip back under the fence, Smudge becomes a little lamb lost—until the kindness of a young girl saves the day.

Parents and children alike will rejoice at this new miracle from James Herriot's hand; a tale to be read and read again, its engaging flavor and rich, luminous illustrations make Smudge an enchanting addition to the Herriot menagerie.

From the dust jacket