Showing results by narrator "Melissa Harrison" in All Categories

Three tiny, ancient beings - Moss, Burnet and Cumulus, once revered as Guardians of the Wild World - wake from winter hibernation in their beloved ash tree home. When it is destroyed, they set off on an adventure to find more of their kind, a journey that takes them first into the deep countryside and then the heart of a city. Helped along the way by birds and animals, the trio search for a way to survive and thrive in a precious yet disappearing world.

As autumn begins, Moss and friends travel to their former home in Ash Row, to find the rare mortal child who can both see and talk to them. The tiny beings know they should be brave and talk back - this is their chance to help reverse the fading of ancient Cumulus, who has now almost disappeared entirely. But they soon realise fading is connected to their role in the world. Can the Hidden Folk prove that guardians of the Wild World are needed after all?

A Londoner for more than 20 years, moving from flat to Tube to air-conditioned office, Melissa Harrison knew what it was to be insulated from the seasons. Adopting a dog and going on daily walks helped reconnect her with the cycle of the year and the quiet richness of nature all around her: swifts nesting in a nearby church; ivy-leaved toadflax growing out of brick walls; the first blackbird's song; an exhilarating glimpse of a hobby over Tooting Common.