The Midsummer Banquet — 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: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?In a few days it would be time for the Midsummer Banquet to be held at Trundleberry Manor. In his attic, Lord Trundle was rummaging around looking for the candelabras and punch bowl which he had stored away after the previous year's celebrations. Now, where did I put them? he muttered. Perhaps they are in this chest.Opening the chest, he found, amongst many other things, an old engraving of a medieval castle - FERN HOLLOW CASTLE! That's rather odd, muttered Lord Trundle. There's no castle in Fern Hollow these days. It must have fallen into ruins many years ago. But this gives me an idea. This year we will have a medieval Midsummer Banquet and everyone can come in medieval costume.Lord Trundle lost no time in sending out the invitations and soon everyone in the village was talking about the banquet. Mr. and Mrs. Thimble, the Fern Hollow tailors, were kept extremely busy making the medieval costumes and the lights in their windows burned late into the night. When at last the clothes were finished the animals came to try them on. You would hardly have recognised Brock Gruffy, Mr. Bouncer or Mrs. Willowbank in their costumes. They looked splendid!This is one of the stories from original series three 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.