Woodside

A spring visit to their grandparents brings Jack, Mary and Annie from London to a country house less than twenty miles away. Their parents are travelling abroad, and Woodside offers the children gardens, woodland and a busy collection of animals to meet. A lively kitten, a steady pony and the friendly watch-dog Lion each make a different impression. Their grandmother also shares memories of their father's childhood, turning an afternoon among the trees into a lesson in careful listening.

Caroline Hadley's children's story joins family life with conversations about natural history. Questions about wasps, nightingales and bird-catching arise from what the children see and hear around them. Jack's visit with his cousin Tom to Charley Foster introduces another young enthusiast for birds and their eggs. The book offers a glimpse of older ideas about learning through observation, with Christian themes reflected in its treatment of nature.