Little Britches becomes the "man" in his family after his father's early death, taking on the concomitant responsibilities as well as opportunities. During the summer of his twelfth year he works on a cattle ranch in the shadow of Pike's Peak, earning a dollar a day. Little Britches is tested against seasoned cowboys on the range and in the corral. He drives cattle through a dust storm, eats his weight in flapjacks, and falls in love with a blue outlaw horse.

Following Little Britches and developing an episode noted near the end of Man of the Family, The Home Ranch continues the adventures of young Ralph Moody. Soon after returning from the ranch, he and his mother and siblings will go east for a new start, described in Mary Emma & Company and The Fields of Home. All these titles have been reprinted as Bison Books.

Western writer Ralph Moody (1898–1982) grew up in Carson territory in southeastern Colorado. He is the author of seventeen books, including Come on Seabiscuit! and his series Little Britches, all available in Bison Books editions.

"Ralph Moody’s books should be read aloud in every family circle in America"—Sterling North

"[Moody] has a splendid talent for bringing the ashes of the past into life."—Chicago Sunday Tribune

"No memoirs . . . are more agreeable than these pages. The light of decency and honesty and old-fashioned neighborliness shines through them, warming the reader."—Chicago Sunday Tribune

"For the real Western cowboy fan, young or old, this is a natural."—Kirkus

"In twelve-year-old terms, any summer is a long time, and the author has packed this chronicle with enough action to fill most adult years."—Hal Borland, New York Times

"He recalls a rich boyhood that perhaps takes on an added golden glow when viewed nearly a half-century later."—San Francisco Chronicle