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Talewater Press

Talewater Press is an imprint of Patience Design Ltd, under which we are republishing English language editions of John Patience's back catalogue of illustrated children's books. Some of these 1980s and 1990s children's books have been out of print for a while.

Have you been trying to find a new copy to replace a favourite Fern Hollow book you lost? If so, you will find it here. (If you're not already a fan you can get to know 1980s children's book series Tales from Fern Hollow here.)

There are lots of second-hand (used) copies of John's books for sale online, including Tales from Fern Hollow and Rainbow's End. Of course, we'd love you to buy our new editions but it can be difficult to spot them amongst all the others. We've made it easy for you by listing them all below.

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The Tales from Fern Hollow series

The Seasons in Fern Hollow

40th Anniversary Edition

Brock the Balloonist cover

The one that started it all, now in a new 64-page 40th Anniversary Edition, in paperback.
64 pages of detailed, colourful and cheerful illustrations introduce us, through the seasons of the year, to some of the animal characters who went on to appear in the four series that followed through the 1980s and 1990s.

 

Original Series 1

Brock the
Balloonist

Brock the Balloonist cover

Mr Rusty's
New House

Mr Rusty's New House front cover

The Brass Band Robbery

 

The Brass Band Robbery front cover

Sports Day
 

Mr Rusty's New House front cover

Adventures in Fern Hollow

Adventures in Fern Hollow)

All four stories above collected together into this 80-page hardback book:
Brock the Balloonist; Mr Rusty's New House; The Brass Band Robbery; and Sports Day.

  • Sorry - not currently available.

Original Series 2

The Unscary
Scarecrow

The Unscary Scarecrow (Tales from Fern Hollow)

Sigmund's
Birthday Surprise

Sigmund's Birthday Surprise (Tales from Fern Hollow)

Parson Dimly's
Treasure Hunt

Parson Dimly's Treasure Hunt (The Seasons in Fern Hollow)

Muddles
at the Manor

Muddles at the Manor (Tales from Fern Hollow)

 

 

Happy Ending Stories from Fern Hollow

Happy Endings Stories from Fern Hollow cover

All four stories above collected together into this 80-page hardback book:
The Unscary Scarecrow; Sigmund's Birthday Surprise; Muddles at the Manor; Parson Dimly's Treasure Hunt

  • Sorry - not currently available

Original Series 3

The Tortoise Fair

The Tortoise Fair (Tales from Fern Hollow)

Mrs Merryweather's Letter

Mrs Merryweather's Letter (Tales from Fern Hollow)

Granny Bouncer's Rescue

Granny Bouncer's Rescue (Tales from Fern Hollow)

The Midsummer Banquet

The Midsummer Banquet (Tales from Fern Hollow)

Favourite Stories from Fern Hollow

Favourite Stories from Fern Hollow

 

All four stories above collected together into this 80-page hardback book:
The Tortoise Fair; Mrs Merryweather's Letter; Granny Bouncer's Rescue; and The Midsummer Banquet.
  • Sorry - not currently available

 

Original Series 4

Castaways on Heron Island

Castaways on Heron Island

The Floating Restaurant

The Floating Restaurant (Tales from Fern Holow)

The Mysterious Fortune Tellers

The Mysterious Fortune Tellers (Tales from Fern Holow)

Spike and the Cowboy Band

Spike and the Cowboy Band (Tales from Fern Hollow)

Bedtime Stories from Fern Hollow

Bedtime Stories from Fern Hollow

All four stories above collected together into this 80-page hardback book:
Castaways on Heron Island; The Floating Restaurant; The Mysterious Fortune Tellers; and Spike and the Cowboy Band.

  • Sorry - not currently available

Rainbow's End - magical gnome village!

Rainbow's End is a tiny magical village in Nutshell Wood. It can only be seen by humans when a rainbow is in the sky. At other times, it is invisible to everyone except the gnomes who live there and the woodland creatures. The gnomes of Rainbow's End are jolly little folk who are always busy. Lots of exciting and interesting things happen in the village.

Rainbow's End Treasury, Volume I

This is a compilation of the four stories in the first Rainbow's End series of picture books.

Full colour, hardback, 80 pages of text and illustrations, 4 stories with double-page spread illustrations, and illustrated title pages. Size: 20.96 cm wide x 27.94 cm tall (8.25" x 11").

The front cover
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Front cover of Rainbow's End Treasury, Volume I
A page from A Trip to Granny Rumbletummy's
Double-page spread from A Trip to Granny Rumbletummy's
A page from The Winter Warming
Double-page spread from The Winter Warming
A page from Toby Claypot's Wishing Well
Double page spread from Toby Claypot's Wishing Well
A page from Woolly Foot's Good Idea
Double-page spread from Woolly Foot's Good Idea

Rainbow's End paperbacks

The stories in the Treasury above are also available as individual paperbacks:

Full colour, paperback, 26 pages of text and illustrations Size: 21.59 cm wide x 27.94 cm tall (8.5" x 11").

A Trip to Granny Rumbletummy's

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Cover of A Trip to Granny Rumbletummy's
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The Winter Warming

Cover of The Winter Warming
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Woolly Foot's Good Idea

Cover of Woolly Foot's Good Idea
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Toby Claypot's Wishing Well

Cover of Toby Claypot's Wishing Well
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Rainbow's End Treasury, Volume 2

This is a compilation of the four stories in the second Rainbow's End series of picture books.

Full colour, hardback, 80 pages of text and illustrations, 4 stories with double-page spread illustrations, and illustrated title pages. Size: 20.96 cm wide x 27.94 cm tall (8.25" x 11").

The cover
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The cover of Rainbow's End Treasury Volume 2
A page from The Wonderful Whatsisname
Double-page spread from The wonderful Whatsisname
A page from That Mouse Must Go!
Double-page spread from That Mouse Must Go
A page from New Friends
Double page spread from New Friends
A page from Toddy and the Fox
Double-page spread from Toddy and the Fox

Teddy Bears!

The Adventures of Edward Tall and Teddy Small and Friends

Edward Tall and Teddy Small are two teddy bears who live in the window of Mr Meadows’s toy shop. When the shop is closed, they get up to all sorts of fun and mischief with their toy shop friends. If you like teddy bears, you are going to love Edward Tall and Teddy Small! Four stories for young children, with bright, colourful illustrations by the author, John Patience.

Full colour, paperback, 82 pages of text and illustrations, 4 stories with double-page spread illustrations, and illustrated title pages. Size: 21.59cm wide x 21.59cm tall (8.5" x 8.5").

Front cover
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Front cover of The Adventures of Edward Tall and Teddy Small and Friends
A page from Teddies Fly Away
A page from Teddies Afloat
A page from Teddies on the Runaway Train
A page from Teddy Small, Behave Yourself!

Fairytales

Fairy Tales from Far and Wide

A collection of eight fantastical short stories gathered from around the world – the Norse country, Germany, China, Bohemia, Japan, Estonia, Norway and Russia. Some of the familiar, traditional characters commonly featured in fairytale and folklore are included: trolls; a goblin; a witch; a wizard, a young adventurer and his animal companions; a trio of ‘superheroes’ with very unusual special powers; and a magical kitchen implement!

Highly detailed and colourful illustrations by John Patience on every page bring vividly to life these traditional fairy tales and folk tales – some familiar (remember Billy Goats Gruff?) and some which may be new to you.

Size: 21.59cm wide x 27.94cm tall (8.25" x 11").

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The front cover
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The Great White Bear and the Trolls
Little Peachling
The Fox and the Tiger
The Cook and the Goblin

 

Fairy Tales & Mythical Creatures of the British Isles

Princes, princesses, dragons, wizards, giants, fairies, brownies, leprechauns are amongst the amazing characters which make this magical collection of stories from all around the British Isles a treat for children of all ages.

Full colour, hardback, 188 pages of text and illustrations, 15 stories and 10 mythical creatures, with mostly double-page spread illustrations, and illustrated title pages and contents pages. Size: 21.59cm wide x 27.94cm tall (8.25" x 11").

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Front cover
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Front cover of Fairy Tales & Mythical Creatures of the British Isles, retold & illustrated by John Patience
The Coblynau
A picture of the text and illustrations on pages 18-19, describing the Coblynau. The title Coblynau and text appear on the left-hand page and on the right-hand page, an illustration of coblynau seen in a Welsh mine: a strange little man dressed in old-fashioned clothing and with a tall, pointed hat. He is holding a lump of Welsh gold in his right hand and has a pick over his left shoulder. Next to him is a wheelbarrow filled with rocks.
Tam Lin
A view of the text and illustrations on pages 42-43 from the story Tam Lin. On the left-hand page is an image of the angry-looking Fairy Queen, with text below. The right-hand page is a nighttime scene in mostly blue and purple hues in which the heroine, Janet, holds on tight to a huge lion into which form the prince has been changed by the Fairy Queen.
The Children of Lir
A view of the text and illustrations on pages 60-61, from the story The Children of Lir. The image spreads across both pages. On the left-hand page a box containing the text of the start of the story overlays the image of the stepmother, Aoife, standing on a high rock at the edge of a lake, in a dramatic pose. She is pointing a magic wand at her husband's four children (on the right-hand page) and chanting a magic spell to turn them into beautiful swans. One of the children is already transformed completely to a swan and the other three are partly changed, with swan wings but human bodies.
The Weaver and the Dragon
A view of the text and illustrations on pages 156-157, from the story The Weaver and the Dragon. The illustration spans both pages with a box containing text on the left page. On the right-hand page (with its tail extending to the left page) a huge bronze-coloured dragon is in flight over mountainous, treed landscape, with a rather frightened-looking weaver riding on his neck. The weaver is dressed in 'armour' made of kitchen pots and pans. The infuriated dragon is breathing fire.

 

East of the Sun and West of the Moon

A traditional Norwegian folk tale with all the ingredients of a classic fairy story: a huge white bear, a bewitched prince and his wicked step-mother, witches, trolls and a heroine who must undertake a seemingly impossible quest. Full colour, 44 pages of text and illustration. Size: 21.59cm wide x 27.94cm tall (8.5" x 11").

Front cover
click to see larger image
Front cover of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, retold & illustrated by John Patience. The cover illustration consists of a central square box containing a snowy, nighttime scene of a girl dressed in old-fashioned winter clothing, riding on the back of a giant white bear, with a full moon in the sky above. Above the central square box is a decorative panel with the image of a sun at top left corner and a moon at top right corner. Inside the panel is the text East of the Sun and West of the Moon, illustrated by John Patience. At the bottom of the central square box is another, smaller decorative panel with the words An Old Tale from the North.
Pages 8-9
A picture of the text and illustrations on pages 8-9. On the left-hand page there is a panel containing the story text. To the right, on a plain pale pink ground, is the image of a young girl wearing a long skirt of brown, flowing material, with the toes of pointed red shoes peeping out of the bottom, and a patterned blouse with leg of mutton sleeves. Her reddish brown hair is flowing behind her as she rides on the back an enormous, white bear.
Pages 12-13
A view of the text and illustrations on pages 12-13. There is a panel of text on the left-hand page. To the right is a long, wooden table laid with golden dishes of many types of delicious looking fruit. The young girl, dressed in old-fashioned thick winter clothing - including a thick brown coat, shawl and hat - is staring in amazement at the feast. To the right of her is a huge white bear, standing on its hind legs, gesturing towards the food.
Pages 28-29
A view of the text and illustrations on pages 28-29. There is a panel of text on the left-hand page. At the bottom of the panel the young girl stands with her back to the viewer, arms held out in front, looking towards a huge head in the sky, surrounded by clouds - the North Wind.
Pages 40-41
A view of the text and illustrations on pages 40-41, showing an extraordinary scene of Princess Long Nose, the prince's stepmother and four trolls of various sizes, trying to wash a dirty white shirt in a large pot of sudsy water.

Happy Endings series

A series of picture books combining short stories and poems on traditional themes, sometimes with a modern twist. All beautifully illustrated and with a happy ending guaranteed!

Dragon Tales

Three short stories and two poems about dragons – from fearsome to friendly - with sumptuous, colourful, detailed and fun illustrations. Always a happy ending! Full colour, 28 pages of text and illustration.

Available in hardback. Size: 21.59cm wide x 27.94cm tall (8.5" x 11").

  • Amazon
  • To order from bookshops and other online retailers, ask for ISBN 978-1739573546

 

Front Cover
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Pages 6-7
Pages 14-15
Pages 18-19
Pages 20-21

Tall Stories

Three short stories and two poems about giants – from gruesome to gentle - with sumptuous, colourful, detailed and fun illustrations. Always a happy ending! Full colour, 28 pages of text and illustration.

Available in hardback. Size: 21.59cm wide x 27.94cm tall (8.5" x 11").

  • Amazon
  • To order from bookshops and other online retailers, ask for ISBN 978-1739573560
The front cover
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Pages 2-3
Pages 10-11
Pages 18-19
Pages 24-25