This is a cute little story of the generic "mean neighbor next door." Rose's family has just moved into the neighborhood, and while playing with neighborhood kids, loses her ball over the fence to the dark and dreary house. The neighborhood kids tell Rose all kinds of scary storys about how the neighbors mean and has a pet crocodile that eats children! After talking to her mother, Rose gains the courage to go over to ask for her ball back, and she realizes that the neighbor, Mr. Wintergarten, is not scary at all but very nice!