Category: Children Publisher: self
ISBN-10: 1483990583
Type: Fiction
Pages: 58
Copyright: April 5, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781483990583
A magical story of friendship, morals, and fun, where a chicken and a gnome become the best of friends! Great for children and adults!
Welcome to the mystical land of Hedgenell, which is a realm full of wonder and amazement! "The Adventures of Fred & Hodges" will take you on an incredible journey of friendship and fun. Hodges, a wise old gnome, and Fred, a young chicken, full of childlike wonder who happens to have duck envy are an unlikely duo who become the best of friends! Join us as these two meet for the very first time in this introductory tale that proves that friendship may be found in the most unexpected places!
Excerpt
In a land far, far away, but a lot closer than you think, live creatures of lore and myth, with animals that speak and fairies that listen. All the faire-folk live there in peace and harmony, for the most part. Occasionally, there are arguments and scuffles. But through patience and guidance, they all get along.
In the valley of Hedgenell, there is a large mushroom. If you look closely, you can see that there are many windows of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Living in this mushroom house is an old, patient gnome named Hodges.
He is as peaceful as he is wise. His beard is long and streaked with grey and his maroon colored hat is tall, which he wears with pride. For you see, only the oldest, wisest gnomes wear such tall, majestic, pointy hats. His glasses are small and had the habit of falling down the bridge of his nose. So even though he is short of stature, he appears to always be looking down at you. Hodges is never without two things, which are his pipe and his satchel.
He loves his books, which he, himself, wrote many of. He also keeps a small garden that he takes much pride in. When the mood strikes him, he enjoys painting.
One morning, he awoke very early. As Hodges opens his front door, he discovers it is so early that the Hedgenell Times, which was the local newspaper, hasn’t even arrived at his doorstep yet. Hodges begins to mutter under his breath. “Kids today, they don’t know when to get up!” He huffs, “The sun’s even getting lazy! Boy in MY DAY….mumble, mumble… UP HILL BOTH WAYS!! BAREFOOTED! Grumble…Grumble…IN THE SNOW!” He slams the door and stomps into his small, cozy kitchen and brews a pot of VERY strong coffee, which is much needed and part of his daily routine. As he takes his first sip, a smile cracks his face. “Mmmm… at least my coffee is NEVER late! Almost strong enough to chew! Mmmmmm.” As everyone knows, gnomes are cranky before their morning coffee.
Suddenly, there is a loud THUD! Something has hit the side of HIS mushroom! He peaked out of one of his many windows and sees his paper sitting in the middle of a large puddle!
“That’s IT!!!” “I’m going fishing!” And with that, he put on his trusty big, black boots; and then he gathers his fishing pole, his tackle box, and grabs a handful of worms from his bucket that he keeps in his garden. He places the worms in his tackle box and puts his satchel over his shoulder. He then heads down the tidy path that leads to his favorite fishing spot, Mallard Lake.
Professional Reviews
"Very Charming Story!" 5 stars
Great introduction to the characters! I am excited to continue following their future adventures. This is entertaining for adults as well as being kind of kid friendly. The author paints a magical, lyrical tale that makes me want more. I love these characters already and will be anticipating more from them in the future. Great Clever Story!
"Totally Awesome!" 5 stars
If you have kids... Buy this book!!! If you don't have kids.... Buy this book and read it!!!! Great story!! Looking forward to more!!!!!
"Terrific Story!" 5 stars
What a terrific book!! Refreshing, holds interest, gives opportunity for parents to interact with their children. So many lessons to be learned. These authors did not talk down to children, but instead used wording children will question, thus building a rich vocabulary. What a wonderful example of friendship and helpfulness, so necessary to instill early in our children's lives. This book is so rich in so many ways, great read!!Kudos to the authors, keep them coming.
