The Brass Band Robbery

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:

Lord Trundle decides that Fern Hollow should have its own brass band. The musical instruments are delivered and the animals begin to practise, but when the troublesome weasels Snitch and Snatch arrive uninvited, things begin to go wrong.

One morning, a large wooden crate arrived on the freight train at Fern Hollow station. It was addressed to Lord Trundle and marked "FRAGILE".

"I wonder what that can be?" said old Stripey, the porter.

"I don't know," replied Mr. Twinkle, the station master, "but I'd better telephone Lord Trundle to let him know it's arrived."

When he heard the news, Lord Trundle was very excited and rushed down to the railway station in his car. "Ah, at last!" he cried, looking at the great big wooden crate. "I've been waiting for this to arrive for weeks."

This hardback contains one of the stories from original series one 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 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 mishaps 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 appeared 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 read to them as children have now grown up and are buying the books to read with their own children, nieces and nephews. Parents who read the books with their children back in the 1980s are now enjoying them all over again with their grandchildren.

The charming Fern Hollow stories have remained popular since they were first published in 1980.