head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.
Old tales and poetry from around the world are a constant source of inspiration for story-tellers. Creating something new from something old allows us to link hands with people of the past. Or, as Morgan le Fay once said to Jack and Annie (in Magic Tree House #16,
Hour of the Olympics)
, âThe old stories are always with us. We are never alone.â
Mary Pope Osborne is the award-winning author of many novels, picture books, story collections, and nonfiction books, including
Adaline Falling Star, Kate and the Beanstalk, New Yorkâs Bravest, Favorite Medieval Tales, Favorite Greek Myths
, and
One World, Many Religions.
Her bestselling
Magic Tree House
series has been translated into many languages around the world. Highly recommended by parents and educators everywhere, the series introduces young readers to different cultures and times in history, as well as to the worldâs legacy of ancient myth and storytelling. Mary Pope Osborne is married to Will Osborne, a co-author of many of the Magic Tree House Research Guides. They live in northwestern Connecticut.
Hereâs a special preview of
Magic Tree House #31
(A Merlin Mission)
Summer of the Sea Serpent
Available now!
Excerpt copyright © 2004 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Published by Random House Childrenâs Books,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
J ack was sitting on the porch reading the newspaper. It was a warm summer day, but the porch was shady and cool.
Annie poked her head out of the screen door. âHey, Mom says sheâll drive us to the lake this afternoon,â she said.
Jack didnât raise his eyes from the weather page. âDid you know today is the summer solstice?â he said.
âWhatâs that?â asked Annie.
âItâs the official first day of summer,â saidJack. âThereâs more daylight today than on any other day of the year.â
âCool,â said Annie.
âStarting tomorrow, the days will get shorter and shorter,â said Jack.
A loud screech came from overhead.
âLook,â said Annie, âa seagull!â
Jack looked up. A large white gull was circling in the bright noon sky. âWhatâs he doing here?â asked Jack. âThe oceanâs two hours away.â
The gull swooped down and screeched again.
âMaybe heâs a messenger from Morgan or Merlin,â said Annie. âMaybe one of them sent him to tell us the tree house is finally back.â
Jackâs heart began to pound. He put down the newspaper. âYou think so?â he asked.
Jack and Annie hadnât seen the magic tree house since their Merlin Mission to a haunted castle last Halloween. Jack had begun to worry that the tree house might never come back.
âLook, heâs flying toward the woods,â said Annie.
Jack jumped up. âOkay,â he said. âLetâs go.â
âWeâll be back soon, Mom!â Annie called. Then she and Jack dashed across their yard. They ran down their street and into the Frog Creek woods.
The shady woods were dappled with sunlight. The air smelled fresh and clean. Jack and Annie hurried past the leafy trees, until they came to the tallest oak. High in the oak branches, the magic tree house was waiting for them.
âWow,â Jack and Annie said together. The tree house looked exactly the same as when theyâd last seen it.
Annie grabbed the rope ladder and started up. Jack followed. When they climbed inside the tree house, no one was there.
âLook, our Royal Invitation is still here,â said Annie. She picked up the card that had taken them to Camelot on Christmas Eve.
âAnd our leaf from Merlin is still here,â said Jack. He picked up the yellow autumn leaf that had sent
THE DAWNING (The Dawning Trilogy)