"low class nothing," answered Phewie indignantly. "you just don't understand garbidge. Now there's garbidge and garbidge, just like there's Folks and Folks. Some Folk's garbidge just ain't fit for -well it ain't even fitten for garbidge. But there's other garbidge, now you couldn't ask for anything nicer."" (Lawson).
The book's plot is carried along substantially through reading the character's dialogue. Little Georgie, the primary character, is a young rabbit who creates a little ditty about the "New Folks Coming" which soon resounds over the Connecticut countryside despite it's simplicity. Even Louie and Tim, the hired hands at the farmhouse, end up humming it. Somehow Lawson makes the interconnectedness between the human and animal communities totally believable.
The book remains involved with speculation as to whether the "New Folks" will be planting Folks and when they do arrive they are held under close watch. The animals critique each and every detail and weigh it's meaning as to whether these are good Folks or bad Folks. The general consensus seems to favor the benevolent spirit of the new tenants as various animals report incidences of kindness. Only Uncle Analdas, Little Georgie's great uncle, persists in being crotchety and suspicious, subsequently managing to spread a lot of gossip and stirring up much unrest on the hill based on half-truths and misinformation.
The characters and situations in this book can directly parallel the human experience. The reader can easily sympathize with Mole's rash outburst of anger and total destruction of the "New Folks" yard when he is under the false assumption that Mr. Muldoon, their cat has killed his dear friend Willie Fieldmouse. (Lawson, 90-91) Likewise Mr. Lawson makes a fine portrayal of the effect that fear and ignorance can have when calamity strikes. The division and quarreling that occur within this tight knit community are all too recognizable as human traits, when a car strikes Georgie and other than being taken to the farmhouse, his fate is not known for several weeks.