Fern's Secret Garden
Fern's Secret Garden
by Lucia Verdi
Behind the crooked gate, Fern finds a garden where every flower has a story to tell.
- Age
- Ages 6–8
- Pages
- 52
Flip through the book
Tap the cover to open it. Turn the pages like a real book.
Fern's Secret Garden
Once upon a time…
Behind the crooked gate lay a garden that nobody had visited in years. Ivy climbed over the walls, and the paths were covered with moss. Fern put her hand on the rusty latch and pushed. The gate creaked once, twice, three times, which Fern decided meant yes. She took a deep breath, tiptoed inside, and looked around with wide eyes.
Page 1
The tulips leaned in like gossiping neighbors, their bright heads bobbing together. "A visitor," they whispered. "A visitor!" The bluebells rang their tiny bells, and the daffodils stood on tiptoe for a better look. Fern laughed. She had never been welcomed so warmly in all her life, and she had only been there a minute.
Page 2
Every flower had a story to tell, and Fern listened to them all. The poppy told a story about a very long nap. The daisy told one about a very short race, which she had won by two petals. The foxglove sang a song about bees, and the pansy made everyone laugh with a riddle. Fern sat in the grass and listened all afternoon.
Page 3
But in one shady corner, everything was silent. The roses drooped over the old stone wall, dry and thirsty and brown at the edges. Their petals had fallen, and their thorns pointed sadly at the ground. They had forgotten how to talk. Fern knelt beside them and touched a wilted leaf. "Oh," she whispered. "You poor things. What happened?"
Page 4
…and then?
Read onTap to open
Story mood
Is it a wind-down book, or a wake-up book?
- SleepySnooze-ready
- SillySerious
- BraveBig courage
- CuriousFull of wonder
Meet the characters
Tap a card to learn a secret.
Talk about it together
Conversation starters for after the last page.
Try this at home
Grow a bean
Wrap a bean in a damp paper towel inside a clear bag and tape it to a window. Draw it every day and watch it wake up.
What your child will take away
- ✓Noticing nature
- ✓Kindness to living things
- ✓Patience
About the author
Lucia Verdi
A gardener and illustrator who believes every flower has something to say.
More by Lucia Verdi →You might also like
Pip and the Moonlit Forest
Pip and the Moonlit Forest
Zoom Zoom to Saturn
Zoom Zoom to Saturn
Captain Coral & the Lost Pearl
Captain Coral & the Lost Pearl
Clover the Cow Who Wanted to Fly