The journey begins in the poor mining country of West Virginia, where small David hopes that one day he will be a coal-miner like his father and his grandfather. But after an explosion in the mine, David's father leaves to look for safer work elsewhere. When he sends for the family to join him in Jericho, California, the journey begins. The story focuses on the terrible risks of mining, on a small boy's yearning for his father, and of the difficulties of leaving the familiar for the unknown. It also focuses on a jar of Grandma May's prize-winning pickles, which David is entrusted to guard.

From the reviews:

"... Journey to Jericho is as charming as a patchwork quilt--it is a period piece designed and executed by two skillful blue-ribbon winners at any fair. And because this story of a small boy's voyage that took him from a Virginia mining camp to a California lumber town was created with such skill, it is as timeless as any true creation."

Publishers Weekly

"The writing is clean, sparkling, and direct ... I wish this were just the opening of a longer, deeper book."

The New York Times Book Review

"A long short story that captures mood and character while it presents just enough action to carry readers along. The economic use of words produces a deceptively simple story; its overtones will echo in readers' minds long after the action is forgotten."

School Library Journal