Tales from Fern Hollow by John Patience

Welcome to Fern Hollow!

Fern Hollow endpapers map

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Created, written and Illustrated by John Patience, Fern Hollow is a village populated by animal characters. These stories, illustrated in traditional style, have remained popular ever since they were first published in 1980 - see the full list here. Tales from Fern Hollow was first published in the UK by Peter Haddock Limited of Bridlington.

A whole generation of people who read the Fern Hollow stories as children have now grown up and are buying the books to read with their own children, nieces and nephews.

"Your work lives on strong in my house hold. We have made Fern Hollow our model for everyday life in our human world!"

Will Michael, "The Connecticut Naturalist", a longtime fan and very talented guy. See Will's YouTube channel for a wealth of nature education resources and some fun animations for kids.

1980s parents are now enjoying them all over again with their grandchildren. John receives more fan mail about Fern Hollow than about any of the other books he has written and illustrated over the years. They are particularly popular in the USA and Canada and many of them are now collectible (or collectable, if you prefer that spelling).

Fern Hollow is back - see our Talewater Press page for more information.

Fern Hollow Fans

If you are a Fern Hollow fan, then we hope you will enjoy this section of our web site and that it may bring back some pleasant memories. If you have never visited Fern Hollow before, then we welcome you and hope you will stay a while!

Publishers

If you are a publisher interested in publication rights, please see details on our dedicated intellectual property rights web site.

 

What and where is Fern Hollow?

Fern HollowFern 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 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.

Cover of The Seasons in Fern Hollow

The Seasons in Fern Hollow

The first book about Fern Hollow was The Seasons in Fern Hollow.

The map on the endpapers (pictured above - click to see larger view) helped you find your way around the village and went on to appear in every single title in the Fern Hollow series. It turned out that children really loved the map and enjoyed pointing out where all their favourite Fern Hollow Characters lived and all the stories took place.

 

Tales from Fern Hollow Series and Compilations

Please click the pictures below to view more information. (Please note that the pictures below show the original book covers. The typeface is different in our new editions which you can see here.)

Series 1: Available again now

  • Brock the Balloonist
  • Sports Day
  • The Brass Band Robbery
  • Mr Rusty's New House

Series 2: Available again now

  • Sigmund's Birthday Surprise
  • Muddles at the Manor
  • The Unscary Scarecrow
  • Parson Dimly's Treasure Hunt

Series 3: Available again now

  • Mrs Merryweather's Letter
  • Granny Bouncer's Rescue
  • The Midsummer Banquet
  • The Tortoise Fair

Series 4: Available again now

  • Spike and the Cowboy Band
  • Castaways on Heron Island
  • The Floating Restaurant
  • The Mysterious Fortune Tellers

Compilations:

  • Fern Hollow Bedtime Favourites
  • New Adventures in Fern Hollow
  • Map of Fern Hollow
    The map of Fern Hollow appeared on the endpapers of every title in the series
  • Signpost
    The signpost to Fern Hollow
  • The Seasons in Fern Hollow
    The book that started it all!
  • Series 1
    Brock is not normally an adventurous sort of badger but when he finds a hot air balloon he just has to try it out. Flying high in the sky is fun at first but there is trouble ahead, trouble and lots of it!
  • Series 1
    All the Fern Hollow animals are excitedly preparing for the Sports Day - it is sure to be lots of fun. The only thing they didn't prepare for is a big black cloud and pouring rain! It looks like the Sports Day will have to be called off but Lord Trundle has a bright idea.
  • Series 1
    Lord Trundle decides that Fern Hollow should have its own brass band. The musical instruments are delivered and the animals begin to practise, but when the troublesome weasels Snitch and Snatch arrive uninvited, things begin to go wrong.
  • Series 1
    One night a terrible storm hits Fern Hollow, lightning flashes, thunder crashes and the rain comes pouring down. Mr Rusty's house is flooded and he and his family are forced to take refuge on the roof! Things look very bad for the Rusty family. What are they going to do?
  • Series 2
    Due to a mix-up with parcel labels, Sigmund Swamp accidentally receives a real live crocodile for his birthday. The creature escapes and causes pandemonium around the village.
  • Series 2
    Mr Blodger, the gardener at Trundleberry Manor, decides to try a bit of topiary. It seems like a good idea. He cuts the hedges into all kinds of shapes: a duck, an elephant and a soldier. Then Mr Blodger loses his balance on his ladder and that's where the trouble begins!
  • Series 2
    Farmer Bramble's crop is being eaten by crows so his children make a wonderful scarecrow to frighten away the pesky birds. The only problem is, the scarecrow just isn't scary enough! This calls for drastic action!
  • Series 2
    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?
  • Series 3
    When Mrs Merryweather posts a letter to Mrs Willowbank and Mr Periwinkle the Fern Hollow postman loses it, who knows where the letter will end up?
    This story will carry you and the letter all around the animal village.
  • Series 3
    The day for the annual seaside trip has arrived and the Fern Hollow animals are all filled with excitement. Granny Bouncer enjoys a trip to the seaside as much as anyone else but she is quietly concentrating on her knitting and, as it turns out, a good thing too!
  • Series 3
    Fern Hollow's Midsummer Banquet is set to be extra special because everyone will be dressed in medieval costume. Unfortunately, Lord Trundle somehow manages to get himself trapped in the tower of a ruined castle. Does this mean the Banquet will be called off?
  • Series 3
    When the Tortoise Fair comes to Fern Hollow it brings fun and excitement for all the village's inhabitants, especially young Monty and Tugger who decide to stow away in the caravan when it leaves!
  • Series 4
    Spike Willowbank is a very good violin player, and when a cowboy band arrives in Fern Hollow to play at the music festival Spike is filled with excitement. Will Spike get his chance to play in the cowboy band?
  • Series 4
    Miss Crisp takes her class on a school trip to Heron Island. All the children are well-behaved except for Pippa and Patch. The two naughty rabbits get lost in the spooky wood. Fortunately, Old Man Heron is around to help them out.
  • Series 4
    When Brock Gruffy inherits an old boat he decides to turn it into a floating restaurant. His new business venture doesn't get off a very good start and when a sudden storm springs up things get even worse.
  • Series 4
    The morning of the village fĂȘte was bright and clear and everyone was bubbling over with excitement. In the far corner of the field a small crowd had gathered around the tent of a couple of fortune-tellers, but were the fortune-tellers what they appeared to be?
  • Compilation
    This title is a compilation of:

    The Seasons in Fern Hollow; Sigmund's Birthday Surprise; Parson Dimly's Treasure Hunt.
  • Compilation
    This title is a compilation of:

    Spike and the Cowboy Band; The Mysterious Fortune Tellers; Castaways on Heron Island;
    The Floating Restaurant; The Midsummer Banquet; Sports Day.

A list of all the Fern Hollow Books

John now gets e-mails from people who remember reading Tales from Fern Hollow when they were children or as parents with their children when they were small. Now they want to buy the books for their own children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, etc.. So they e-mail us for a complete list. If you'd like a complete list of all the Fern Hollow books published to date, then you'll see it below. They were out of print for a while but we are delighted to say that we have republished them all in English except the two compilations listed above. All 17 of the original titles are available as single books, and we have combined each series of four to make a series compilation - you'll find information here.

  • The Seasons in Fern Hollow (the one that started it all!)
  • Brock the Balloonist
  • Sports Day
  • The Brass Band Robbery
  • Mr Rusty's New House
  • Sigmund's Birthday Surprise
  • Muddles at the Manor
  • The Unscary Scarecrow
  • Parson Dimly's Treasure Hunt
  • Granny Bouncer's Rescue
  • The Tortoise Fair
  • Mrs Merryweather's Letter
  • The Midsummer Banquet
  • The Floating Restaurant
  • Castaways on Heron Island
  • The Mysterious Fortune Tellers
  • Spike and the Cowboy Band

How to find other out-of-print books by John Patience...

If you are looking for another old favourite John Patience book which is now out of print, you might like to try an Amazon search. Please note:

  • books by other authors may also be listed below).
  • as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases from Amazon.
If you don't have any luck there, why not try BookFinder.com which lists copies available from many different booksellers worldwide.