Hetty and her brother Hank wanted creaky, squeaky shoes. High in the Blue Ridge Mountains where they lived there were no shoes of this kind, nor did Hank and Hetty have any money. They did have some turnip seeds and these they planted and tended until they had the fattest, juiciest turnips in all that region.

They set out to town to sell them. Hetty and Hank's adventures along the way to town and in town, their return home and the things they brought back with them, make a delightful story for all young children.

The author has lived in the Blue Ridge country and has known people like Hetty and Hank, their Pappy and Mammy, and their many friends. Children and adults will appreciate the skill with which Ellis Credle has caught the flavor of the mountain folk.

Down, Down the Mountain has been called "the first picture book ever done of the Blue Ridge country" and it was an overnight and enduring success, selling more than 4,000,000 copies. Fifteen editions were published in English between 1934 and 1973. In 1971 it was honored with a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.