Fat Caterpillars — Jill Penrod

Follow one young man's path to maturity and love in this first book of the Terry's Garden series, stories of a romance that touches generations and a garden where God heals broken hearts. Christian romance for the young at heart. Bud is an old man who dresses in strange clothes and lives in a magical garden. Molly is a bossy girl who plans adventures -- and trouble -- and never thinks twice about the injury that makes Terry different from people around him. And Terry is an eight year-old boy who's new in town. He wanted a puppy when he moved, but instead he got difficult neighbors and sisters. Lots of sisters. Hiding a secret about his injury, his parents pull away, and Terry's life becomes all about Bud and Molly. Together they travel the rough path toward adulthood, facing joys and victories as well as loss, pain, and death as God matures and guides them. By the time high school rolls around, events in Molly's life have driven her away, and Terry faces his teen years pining after his best friend and watching his mentor deteriorate with age. Suddenly it all seems like more than he can bear. But God has taught him well, and if he realizes how important he is to so many people, God can use him to spread hope, love, and healing to those around him, both now and in his future.