The Floating Restaurant — John Patience

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 Brock Gruffy the badger inherits an old boat, he decides to turn it into a floating restaurant. His new business venture doesn't get off to a very good start and then a terrible storm floods the village and the boat is swept away.One morning Brock Gruffy received a letter from his cousin, Bill. It read:Dear Brock,As you know, I am very fond of sailing. Recently I have acquired a new boat and I thought you might like my old one. You'll find it on the river, by the old jetty. Happy sailing!Yours, Bill.When Brock saw the boat he was rather disappointed. It was badly in need of repair. But the badger was struck with a wonderful idea. I'll turn it into a floating restaurant, he thought. So, with the help of his old friend Sigmund Swamp, who was very keen to be the waiter on the floating restaurant, Brock set to work.It's perfect, said Sigmund when the repairs were finished. All we need now are customers! This is one of the stories from original series four 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 of illustrations in traditional style 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 obstacles 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 appears 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 as children are now buying the books to read with their own children. Parents who read the books with their children back in the 1980s and 1990s are now enjoying them all over again with their grandchildren. The gentle and charming Fern Hollow stories have remained popular since they were first published in 1980.