A young girl discovers that her impoverished family is rich in things that matter in life, especially being outdoors and experiencing nature.

Mountain Girl knows her family doesn’t have enough money. But as the family sits around their scratched-up kitchen table and discusses the subject, her parents say they’re rich. Don’t her parents see her worn-out shoes or the patches on her little brother’s pants?

They begin to count up the value of the things they have. How much is it worth to be able to see the sky all day and feel the wind and smell the coming rain? Or to watch a cactus bloom or to sleep outside under the stars? After a while, Mountain Girl begins to realize money may not be as important as she thought. Could her family really be rich after all?

When she examines her life, Mountain Girl realizes her parents need to earn more money. Her father explains that they are really millionaires. He helps his daughter count up the monetary value of seeing the sky all day, feeling the wind, and smelling the coming rain. Three-time Caldecott Honoree Peter Parnall's dramatic watercolors illustrate what really matters.