Spike and the Cowboy Band

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:

The annual Village Fête is an important event in the Fern Hollow calendar and all the animals look forward to it enormously. Each year, there are competitions for best vegetable, best painting, best cake and so on, and donkey rides for the little ones. This year there was a mysterious new tent and it ended up being truly a Fête to remember!

Spike Willowbank was on his way to see Sigmund Swamp for his music lesson. Spike played the violin and was looking forward to performing in the Fern Hollow Music Festival later that week. The hedgehog turned a corner in the lane and was surprised by a couple of his friends who were racing down the hill in their billycarts and almost knocked him over. "Hello, Spike!" said Patch. "Come and play on the carts with us." "Sorry, I can't," said Spike. "I have to go to my music lesson." "Yuck!" said Patch. "Music is boring." "Yes," agreed Monty. "Billycarts are much more fun!" Spike wondered if his friends might be right, but he continued on his way to Sigmund's house.

The next day Spike and his friends were fishing in the River Ferny when Jingle's taxi drew up close by at the Jolly Vole Hotel. They all watched as Jingle opened the car door for his passengers and they stepped out. They were four animals dressed like cowboys. One of them, the raccoon, tipped Jingle and then they all disappeared into the hotel. "Wow!" cried Patch. "They look great. I wonder if they're real cowboys."

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 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.