Fern Hollow Animal Stories written and illustrated by John Patience

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Welcome to Fern Hollow!

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 first appeared in 1980 and there are more than 16 titles in the series.

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! John receives more fan mail about Fern Hollow than about any of the other books he has written and illustrated over the years. It seems they are particularly popular in the USA and many of them are now collectable (or collectible, if you prefer that spelling)!

If you are a Fern Hollow aficionado, 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! In either case, you might like to sign up for the (very occasional) Friends of Fern Hollow Newsletter.

What and where is Fern Hollow?

"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."

Read on to find out more about Fern Hollow and meet some of the main inhabitants. Are you searching for an out-of-print Fern Hollow Book? You might find it here.

The first book about Fern Hollow was The Seasons in Fern Hollow. The map on the endpapers (pictured right - 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. If you sign up for the Friends of Fern Hollow Newsletter you might find the map helpful in locating all the latest goings-on in Fern hollow! Some of the books from the various Fern Hollow Series are listed in detail below.

See below for a full list of all Fern Hollow Books published to date.

	The Tortoise Fair 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! 8 spreads Story & illustrations: John Patience Publisher: Peter Haddock Limited, Bridlington, UK. Buy The Tortoise Fair from Alibris UK
The Floating Restaurant When Brock Gruffy inherits an old boat he decides to turn it into a floating restaurant. His new business venture is going splendidly until a sudden storm springs up and the boat is swept away in the night. 8 full-page spreads. Publisher: Peter Haddock Limited, Bridlington, UK. Buy The Floating Restaurant from Alibris UK
	The Unscary Scarecrow 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! 8 full-page spreads. Publisher: Peter Haddock Limited, Bridlington, UK. Buy The Unscary Scarecrow from Alibris UK
Sigmund's Birthday Surprise 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. 8 full-page spreads. Publisher: Peter Haddock Limited, Bridlington, UK. Buy this book used from Alibris
	Parson Dimly's Treasure Hunt 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 to mishaps along the way. Who will the winner be? 8 full-page spreads. Publisher: Peter Haddock Limited, Bridlington, UK. Buy this book used from Alibris
Fern Hollow Bedtime Favourites This title is a compilation of: The Seasons in Fern Hollow Sigmund's Birthday Surprise Parson Dimly's Treasure Hunt. 87 pages - all full colour illustrations 87 pages - all full colour illustrations Story & illustrations: John Patience Publisher: Peter Haddock Limited, Bridlington, UK. Buy new, used, and hard-to-find books at Alibris!
	New Adventures in Fern Hollow 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 87 pages - all full colour illustrations Story & illustrations: John Patience Publisher: Peter Haddock Limited, Bridlington, UK. Buy new, used, and hard-to-find books at Alibris!

All Fern Hollow Books

Yikes! This makes John feel old; he now gets quite a lot of e-mails from people who remember reading Fern Hollow when they were children, and want to buy all the books for their own children, 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. Please note that many (most? all?) of these are now out of print. But you may be able to find them on Amazon or Alibris, (scroll down for details of how to find out-of-print books).

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

How to find out-of-print Fern Hollow books...

Not all the titles listed above are still in print. If you are looking for an old favourite Fern Hollow book and you haven't been able to find a copy anywhere, you might like to try a search on Alibris or Amazon - use the search boxes below. They both have many used copies for sale.

Also, some of the titles listed on this web site have links direct to buy that book on Alibris or Amazon. Just click on the link next to the book to see.

Tales of Fern Hollow

Welcome to Fern Hollow!

What and where is Fern Hollow?

The Tortoise Fair

The Floating Restaurant

The Unscary Scarecrow

Sigmund's Birthday Surprise

Parson Dimly's Treasure Hunt

Fern Hollow Bedtime Favourites

New Adventures in Fern Hollow

All Fern Hollow Books

How to find out-of-print Fern Hollow books...