A kindly scarecrow wants to be friends with the birds and animals that play at the edge of his wheat field, but they are afraid of him because of his clothing and "his beady eyes, his crooked nose, and his jagged metal mouth." When winter arrives, one night the snow falls and turns the scarecrow into a jolly snowman. The animals play with him, and he is happy now. But worries that when the snow melts, he will be alone again. Will his friends still like him when they see that he is really a scarecrow?