Poor little bird. Everyone else in the forest had a much prettier song – the other birds, the wind, the stream. And so as the sun was rising, she stayed silent. She stayed in her nest all that morning and all that afternoon, with her head tucked under her wing.
One by one, the children of Juniper Lane found their way into the secret garden. They had picnics on the grass, and played games, and made flower crowns for the stone lion’s head. And though the stone lion’s expression never changed, somehow it seemed pleased to have the children’s company.
“What are you doing in my puddle?” Theo said to the little silver fish.
“What are you doing poking your stick in my ocean?” the silver fish said to Theo.
“This isn’t an ocean,” said Theo.
“Careful,” said the silver fish. “Things aren’t always as they appear.”
The two children felt themselves being transformed. Instead of clothes, they had blubber and fur. Instead of hands and feet, they had flippers. Their ears got smaller, their eyes got bigger, and whiskers sprouted on either side of their new, flat noses.
Anika patted her snow pony goodbye, and turned to go inside. But just as she had her hand on the door, she heard something behind her. It sounded like a whinny, like a real pony.
“Everything you draw with this pencil will come to life – but only until the sun goes down,” the old woman told Princess Gillian. “When the sun sets, everything you’ve drawn will turn to dust.”
When Bailey woke up and looked out her bedroom window one November morning, she saw a long piece of red string lying on the snow. It started under the apple tree, stretched across the yard, and disappeared under the gate. Where it went after that was a mystery.
It was a very big kite, and Keiko wasn’t big at all. The moment his grandfather let go, the wind caught hold of the kite and made it rise, higher and higher and higher in the sky.
There was once a little stone house in a hollow in the woods. Oh, but it was a lovely little house, snug and warm and dry! But no one even knew the house was there – except the wind, and the birds and the mice.
Little Bear woke up one morning with a grumble in his tummy. It was as if there were another little bear inside his stomach growling for food.
“I’m hungry,” said Little Bear.