Description:  Brought to the windmiller's home as a foundling on a dark and stormy night, the infant Jan soon won his way into the hearts of his new family, especially that of little Abel who served as his nursemaid. Together they lay for hours watching the clouds. Once Abel showed Jan how to draw them in the dirt, he wanted to do nothing else. He drew on slates at school, then as a pig-minder fashioned pictures with colored leaves that blew away in the wind. The schoolmaster encountering him at this occupation befriended him, providing supplies for the budding artist and raising his aspirations. The story begins slowly with rich descriptions and carefully etched characters, then accelerates as the plot twists and turns, and finally gallops to a fine finish fitting for such a talented lad.

Additional information:

1. Storm Without and Within
2. Passing of the Storm 
3. Gentry Born, Miller Born 
4. Vair and Voolish 
5. A Reward Offered 
6. A Letter 
7. One Puzzle after Another 
8. Into the Hopper and Out 
9. Manners and Customs 
10. A "Pitcher" 
11. Making "Pitchers" 
12. Partners in Crime 
13. A Face Recognized 
14. A Scrape at School 
15. The Making of Pigs 
16. A Tale Told 
17. A Pickpocket's Reward 
18. A New Pig‑Minder 
19. Leaf‑Paintings 
20. A Trip to Town 
21. A Change of Occupation 

22. Under the Schoolmaster's Wing
23. Mistaken Identity 
24. The "Heart of Oak" 
25. The "Black Fever" 
26. The Passing of Another 
27. Turning of the Tide 
28. A Second Bogy 
29. Looking to Mother 
30. A "Long-Lost Child" 
31. The Screever's Art 
32. "On and On" 
33. Giotto Sought 
34. Giotto Found 
35. The Bow‑Legged Boy 
36. A Welcome Response 
37. Sunshine after Storm 
38. The Painter's Schoolmaster 
39. George Tells All 
40. At the Academy 
41. Pedigree Established 
42. Conclusion