Calm Pond

Are you looking for the ideal bedtime book for your child? A book where you and your child can connect to strong characters and develop essential life skills through fun?

Then look no further than Calm Pond!

Calm Pond is in Blackstone Edge. It is a wonderful place, a special place.

It can be quiet and beautiful, but it can also be noisy and fun as it is the home of some amazing creatures!

The creatures of Calm Pond live and work together, helping each other to form a strong community.

The nine short stories cover many topics to help children understand many life issues, such as equality, resilience, honesty, change, strengths and weaknesses, anxiety, differences, empathy, and bereavement.

Calm Pond – educating and entertaining!

Fairies at Number 55

“Nobody in the world will admit to having seen a fairy, but it doesn’t mean they are not there.”

“Fairies are kind and they always, always do the sweetest, gentlest things for you and for all that you love, but rarely will they be visible. But you just never know…”

Fairy mum, Starlight, is beautiful. Sheer gossamer wings with a duck-egg blue hue, her tinkling voice always sounds like tiny cymbals chinking as she laughs, forever checking her fairy family, imploring them to keep kindness and gentleness to the fore of every endeavour.

From their garden at number 55, the family of fairies, Starlight and Nimbus, their fairy children, Mimosa, Chicory and Chirrup, Lychen and Moss, weave in and out of the lives of various woodland and water creatures, “giants” and their pets, all along the leafy green and cool bridleway.

Calling, along the way, upon such firm friends as doves, Darcy and Dill and magpies, Mick and Maggie, Spinner the friendly spider, and Skeet the generous dog, the fairies cheerfully carry out rescues, avert danger, make gifts, and even bring love to two lonely foxes.

Jock the Sheepdog

This is the story about a border collie puppy who is the sole survivor of a litter born in the wild in the hills above the Town of Drummond in the Scottish Highlands. He is found, reared and trained by a local hill farmer and becomes renowned for his intelligence, courage and endurance. His remarkable series of adventures eventually see him win the 'One Man and his Dog trophy' competition on television. 

Tales from the Broom Cupboard

Joe and Alex have new adventures during lockdown when they discover a time machine under the stairs. With their newfound friends, Flash, a cheetah and Slither, a python, they travel all over the galaxy, past, present and future, meeting amazing people and having a great time as their pets develop magic powers. Meet Mr Leek and the Little People with the boys as they discover new worlds.

Soaring Seagull and Heavenly Bull

These tales delve into the realm of the forgotten children within us, echoing the cries and pains from our past that seek healing. Through a heartfelt invitation to seek guidance from the Heavenly Father, these stories aim to mend the inner child, fostering peace and happiness within. Written for both the author and the reader, they reveal a journey of self-discovery and healing, offering love and understanding to the little girl and boy within. As adults, embracing these tales can prevent the cycle of pain, paving the way for inner peace, joy, and tranquillity.

Seven Woodlands Magic Stories

A truly delightful children’s fiction book with beautifully illustrated drawings. These seven enchanting woodlands stories, which all took place a long time ago in the vast magical woodlands, far away on the north side of the Earth, will capture the imagination of the younger audience.

The adventures of these magical woodlands and their leading characters provide a charming atmosphere to capture those wildest of imaginations. A mystical animal that can cast precious stones out of thin air, an amazing bird that glows as bright as a flame or even an unusual magic flower that can grant your wishes.

Each story contains an underlying moral presence of what is good and bad to help teach the young reader. The best outcome of each of these wonderful and exciting adventures is capturing the creativity and involving the reader through an array of textual sound imitations to emphasise the impact of each meaning.

Follow the mysterious Silver Hoofed Goat through the woods, fly with the exotic Firebird and even swim with the Princes Swan in the lake. These short magic stories are only the beginning.

The Tales of Mr Mouse and Friends

Join Mr. Mouse as he tends to his award-winning garden, makes friendships, meets Hilda his future wife, all the while drinking lots of tea and eating lots of cake. Mr. Mouse is a popular character whose door is always open, who is on hand to help anyone who needs assistance, who will rally around a worthwhile cause and who is highly thought of throughout the woodland community. Each chapter is a short story of its own and set in a season, there are twelve chapters following Mr. Mouse over three years. Read about the woodlands during a harsh winter when the woodlands are covered in six-foot snow drifts, during spring when the season is changing from winter, summer when Mr. Mouse’s award-winning gardens are at their best and autumn when the trees and plants are losing their leaves.

Mr. Mouse with a house on the River Louse will become a favourite bedtime story for your children.

Good Grazing and Other Stories

This collection presents ten short stories, bound together by their connection to New Zealand, whether set within its shores or following the experiences of a New Zealander abroad. Spanning past, present, and even the future (as in the story ‘Good Grazing’), these tales explore a range of moods and themes, from the light-hearted to the thought-provoking.

In the tradition of Shakespearean comedies, most stories here find their way to a satisfying end, though ‘The Magpie’ and ‘Walk a Mile’ venture into darker territories, offering readers food for thought. Fans of ‘The Cone Man’ will be delighted by the return of Norman Humbolt, now grappling with the entanglements of modern politics and social media – with unexpected results.

Two of the stories, ‘Good Grazing’ and ‘As a New Zealander Might Regard Rome’, touch on contemporary social issues related to Māori culture, portraying a hopeful future with a touch of humour. At its heart, this collection is a lighthearted journey into the world as a New Zealander might see it: full of humour, insight, and occasional kernels of truth. Readers planning a trip to New Zealand may even find a glimpse of what awaits, as the real locations described are easily discoverable.

The Adventures of Heidi-High-Hat and Bonnie-Blue-Shoes

Take a walk into the secret world of the pixie-folk of Bluebell Wood and meet two little pixie-sisters, Heidi-High-Hat and Bonnie-Blue-Shoes. Look through the tiny window of their toadstool home and see how they live, and if you’re quiet and keep very still, you will see them come out to play. Join them as they meet with their friends and have all kinds of exciting adventures. They will get up to mischief and get into all sorts of scrapes, and sometimes they’ll even need rescuing by their best friend Tommy-Tiddly-Winks, who’s never far away. Come and share their adventures and discover a magical world where the animals, birds and insects who share the wood with the pixies are all brought to life.

Esmerelda Stories from Around the World

Kurumbey and his family lived a simple life on a picturesque island in the Maldives. They spent the long, hot days fishing and playing on the beach by their campfire. One day, they chanced upon an unlikely visitor who would change their lives forever. The family are faced with a challenge: will they be able to show their courage and unity to work together?Thousands of miles away, Chow Ho from Thailand is facing an awful disaster that will affect his whole family. He too was visited by an unlikely visitor. Would he and his family be able to unite to save what was so precious to them?Jetting back to the barren deserts of the United Arab Emirates, Haya, a young inquisitive tribe member must find a better home for her tribe. Will the mysterious visitor help her to believe in herself and take a risk?Esmerelda stories is a collection of short stories showing that when families work together, they can achieve the impossible.

A Visitation and Other Stories

A short story or two with a cup of tea is an ideal way to relax and escape from the cares of the world. None of the stories in this book are overlong, and all make for easy reading. The subjects are varied, ranging from ghost stories to little slices of life, with at least one drawn from the author’s own experience. He hopes the reader derives as much pleasure from reading them as he did from writing them.

The Gnomes Help To Catch The Burglar And Other Tales

This collection of stories includes several about the adventures of a trio of garden gnomes who come to life and help others. Also, some are about a young boy and his unusual and talented pets and their many escapades and there are some amazing creatures who all solve problems and live their lives outside of the gaze of humans. Mr Fox and his family, for example, get up to mischief while everyone else is asleep and Millie the cockatiel lives in a cage and longs to be free but when she gets the chance, she is not so sure. Underwater excitement comes with Tilly, the trout – who is too brave for her own good. A young Scottish boy called Andrew has the sort of adventures most children dream of with Angus, his pet Highland Bullock to ride on and Jessie, his sheepdog, also plays her part. Maybe you believe in fairies? Find out what happened to old Albert when he met one – or did he?

Children will soon pick their favourite characters and adults will be pleased to know that each story is a self-contained adventure, perfect for a short bedtime story.