Children's author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences at home and in school when he was a boy.

Tomie has an eventful first grade year with his sixth birthday party, his first Halloween trick-or-treating followed by Thanksgiving, his first Christmas pageant, and a late night New Year's celebration.

Author/illustrator Tomie De Paola continues his autobiography with the events between December 7 and 31, 1941, as the U.S. entered World War II and his town celebrated Christmas.

From gas rationing to air-raid drills, as long as the war lasts, life is going to be different for Tomie. And sometimes different is hard. Fortunately, Tomie still has school, his family, and the things he's good at to carry him through.