Parson Dimly's Treasure Hunt

Fern Hollow is a wonderful place to live. Ask Professor Sigmund Swamp or old Brock Gruffy to tell you about their lovely little village and they will talk all day and yet hardly have begun. They will tell you that Fern Hollow nestles at the foot of the trees of Windy Wood and that through the village runs the sparkling ribbon of the River Ferny. The animals of Fern Hollow are all good friends and neighbours, and if you are a stranger they will make you feel at home in next to no time.

In this title:

When a hole appears in the church roof, Parson Dimly decides to run a treasure hunt to raise funds for the repairs. The whole village joins in and, naturally, there are one or two mishaps along the way. Who will the winner be?

The Fern Hollow animals all bought tickets and turned up with all kinds of vehicles. There were cars, motorcycles, a tandem, the fire engine and Sigmund Swamp on his penny farthing. In fact, the only animal who arrived on foot was Polly Prickles. Poor Polly - no-one thought she stood the slightest chance of winning the race to the treasure.

This is one of the stories from original series two of the 17 titles in the 1980s classic Tales from Fern Hollow series. This gentle story, written and illustrated by John Patience, has eight detailed, colourful and cheerful double-page spreads depicting the animal characters of the village of Fern Hollow, tucked away somewhere in the countryside of Edwardian England. As the inhabitants of Fern Hollow go about their daily lives, there are small adventures to enjoy and little mishaps to overcome. Everyone lends a helping hand and there's always a happy ending - and usually a feast for everyone to share in celebration.

The map on the endpapers helps children find their way around the village and appeared in every single title in the Fern Hollow series. Children really love the map and enjoy pointing out where all their favourite Fern Hollow Characters live and all the stories take place.

These stories of animal folk have an enduring charm. A generation of people who had the Fern Hollow stories read to them as children have now grown up and are buying the books to read with their own children, nieces and nephews. Parents who read the books with their children back in the 1980s are now enjoying them all over again with their grandchildren.

The charming Fern Hollow stories have remained popular since they were first published in 1980.

About the Author
Patience, John: - "John trained in typography and book design at the Harris College in Preston, Lancashire, UK and worked briefly as a designer for a couple of publishers in London, England. Later, he did various jobs to earn a living, whilst developing his writing and illustrating skills and trying to get his own children's books published. John's first self-authored illustrated children's book was published in 1980 - The Seasons in Fern Hollow. Since then he has had more than 100 titles published in many countries around the world and translated into many languages - including his retellings of many of the classic fairy tales by Hans Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault and others. John has written, designed and illustrated both flat books and pop-up books including doing the paper engineering. He is perhaps best known for his Tales from Fern Hollow series of children's books which were first published in the 1980s and 1990s."