Towering over the story is the Boxcar Children’s enduring love for one another. Orphaned and alone, the kids focus on keeping their little family together, safe, and happy. They do this by working closely as a team, respecting each other, and supporting everyone’s needs. In addition to their teamwork, each child finds ways to make unique contributions that make surviving and thriving on their own a little bit easier.

Each kid wants to protect and help the others. Jessie finds the Boxcar to shelter them, discovers blueberries to feed them, brings Violet and Benny with her to collect kitchenware, makes sure their plates and spoons are clean and safe, and cooks delicious meals for them from simple ingredients. She also makes a toy bear for Benny and teaches him to read.

Henry gets a job to make money, but he wants to spend his earnings only on his siblings. He constructs a cart for Benny that they can also use to carry heavy things, and he leads the others to build a brook pool so they can bathe and swim.