Arthur is unhappy about going on vacation with his family, but he shows them how to make the best of a bad situation when they end up stuck in a motel because of rainches

Upon hearing a swamp monster's splashing, rumbling approach, a boy hides in a tree, where he is soon joined by his sister, brother, two cousins, and even the monster itself, until Ma arrives to bring them all home to bed.

When Olivia learns that there will be no band at the evening's fireworks display, she decides to form one of her own, with herself as the only musician and some rather unusual instruments.

"In this spare, poetic picture book based on author Muon Van's family history and told through a series of wishes, a family packs up everything they own and embarks on a perilous oceanic voyage toward a better life"--