The Esmeralda books tell the stories of a mother and daughter who live in the city but love to visit the country farm where the child's grandmother lives. This is the first in a series of Esmeralda books. The tales originated as stories created by the author to entertain her grandchildren while they were riding in her car. They would sit quietly, completely enthralled with Esmeralda's adventures. The author could see their reactions in her rear view mirror as each story unfolded. "Nana, Esmeralda Esmeralda " would be heard from the back seat of the car soon after they would hit the road. As the children grew a little older, they would request a theme and the author would build a story around it. The characters have become part of their family and many of their adventures often come to mind. The descriptions in the stories come from four generations of the author's family, their animals, and their homes. Simple tales of a very special family's love.