The Village Watchtower is a collection of glimpses of rural American life at the turn of the twentieth century. One story is about Lucinda Bascome, an elderly woman who sits at her window watching all that happens in the village. She would be lonely, except that people come to her for gossip. Her house and her window are set up in such a way that she sees everything that goes on in the village. Another glimpse is of Tom, a young wild boy who prefers to live in the wilderness than in the shelter of a house. All the stories are set in the same small town. And each glimpse is based on Wiggin's experiences in a small American town.

Kate Douglas Wiggin was the author of the famed Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. She was also an advocate in early education and created the kindergarten school in which most American children go to in the modern era.