Midnight Adventures in Primrose Park [sample]

Published by Barrington Stoke An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Westerhill Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, G64 2QT www.barringtonstoke.co.uk HarperCollinsPublishers Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper, Dublin 1, DO1 C9W8, Ireland First published in 2024 Text © 2024 Helen Peters Illustrations © 2024 Isobel Lundie Cover design © 2024 HarperCollinsPublishers Limited The moral right of Helen Peters and Isobel Lundie to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 ISBN 978-1-80090-257-2 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in whole or in any part in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher and copyright owners A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Printed and Bound in the UK using 100% Renewable Electricity at Martins the Printers Ltd

To all the wonderful librarians and teachers who introduce children to the joy of reading for pleasure.

CONTENTS Dapple the Deer 1. Look at Me! 2. Trapped in the Wire 3. Stuck!

4. Alone on the Road 5. An Enormous Metal Monster 6. Was He Safe Here?

7. Follow Me! 8. You Came Back!

9. Back Home

1 6 9 12 15 19 22 25 29

Olive the Otter 1. Otters Love Rain 2. It’s Not Fair!

3. A Little Squeaking Noise 4. Have You Seen My Baby?

5. Footprints in the Mud 6. New Sounds and Smells 7. You Found Me! 8. Cat! 9. Back in the Holt

35 38 42 46 49 55 57 61 65

CHAPTER 1

Look at Me!

Dapple the roe deer fawn lived with his mother, Fern, in a beautiful wood on the edge of the city. There was a park next to the wood, and at night, when the humans had gone home, Dapple and Fern would walk in through the open gates and explore.

“Always stay close to me, Dapple,” Fern warned him. “And keep away from foxes and dogs.”

One warm summer evening, Dapple and Fern trotted into the park. While Fern ate some 1

leaves and long grass, Dapple ran and jumped under the trees. Every day he was growing stronger and faster.

Fern found a patch of dandelions, her favourite treat. Dapple jumped over a fallen tree trunk.

“Look at me!” he called. “Look how high I can jump! Much higher than yesterday!”

“Well done, darling,” said his mother as she munched on the dandelion leaves.

“I bet I’m so strong now that I can jump right over the stream,” Dapple called. “Watch me, Mum!” There was a little stream along the edge of the park. Dapple took a running leap and …

Yes! He was on the other side!

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“Look at me!” he called. “I jumped over the water!”

“Clever boy,” said Fern, gobbling up the last of the dandelion leaves.

3

Dapple saw an old tawny owl on a branch above him.

“Look at me, Mr Owl!” he called. “Did you see me jump? Can you jump that high, Mr Owl?” “I don’t jump,” said the owl with a grumpy hoot. “I fly.” And with one flap of his huge feathery wings, he flew off high above the treetops.

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Dapple looked up, astonished. Where had the owl gone? How did he do that?

The little deer ran to the wire fence around the park and saw a gap. He squeezed through it and trotted into the wood, leaping over logs and brambles. But he couldn’t see the owl anywhere.

“Where are you, Mr Owl?” he called. “Come and teach me to fly!”

But no one answered. Dapple called again, but the wood was silent.

He looked around. Where was he? He had never been in this part of the wood before, and he began to feel scared.

His mother had said that if he was lost, he must stay still. “Whistle, and I will come to you,” she had said.

So Dapple stood still and whistled.

5