by Penny Ledbetter (Author)
When Paw, the hardworking farmer and patriarch, passes away, Jess and his family struggle to move on. They keep thinking about how Paw woulda been tending the fields and gardens, how he woulda been at Jess's 10th birthday party to help him blow out the candles, and how he woulda been readying Boots, the farm's newest Jersey calf, for the county fair. As the seasons change, they feel his absence every day. But when what woulda been Paw's 78th birthday rolls around, Jess and his family decide to celebrate his life and memory by throwing a Woulda Been party with all their closest friends. In this heartfelt and inspiring story, Jess learns how to overcome his woulda been mentality through community, remembrance, and giving back.