A FIRST SUMMER’S DAY IN GARDEN PATCH

BY

MILLIE OROSZ VAN HORN 

A children’s book about a well-tended garden sitting alone, where all the vegetables come to life for just one magical day – A First Summer’s Day.  

      Imagine a well-tended garden sitting alone on the far end of a farmer’s grassy field of flowers.  It is the first day of summer.  At daybreak, the sun rises up over the horizon.  The warm rays slowly creep across the field, and down the hill toward the garden.  As the magical rays touch each vegetable, each one comes alive – but only for this one special day – the first summer’s day.  It is a day to visit, and play and have adventures. 

Weggie Mato  A big red tomato from the Orient who is in love

                        with Lucy Lettuce. 

Lucy Lettuce  A Romaine head of lettuce who is in love with

                        Weggie Mato. 

Granpoppy Corn  Withered and Old, the wisest in Garden Patch. 

Bunion Onion  A big round onion with a huge smile, crying

                        Happy tears that splash to the ground. 

Mr & Mrs Peabody They have eight little Wee Peas in a pod. 

Rusty Carrot   A tall country carrot that spins up from the ground. 

Shuga Beet   A Jamaican Beet with dark purplish dreadlocks. 

Leana Beana  Is Tall and proud with her little Beanie Sprouts. 

Dilly Pickle   A marching pickle who is leader of the parade. 

Cali Flower   Her little Flowerets are marching behind her. 

Tina Turnip   She is a glitzy, colorful, high stepping dancer. 

      The antagonist in this story is the farmer and his two children, who occasionally go down to the garden to pick fresh vegetables.  They are The Dark Shadows, who live in what looks like a stack of trees.  Whenever the Dark Shadow comes, someone in Garden Patch disappears and is never seen again. 

      Everyone has fun visiting and playing with their friends that they haven’t seen since the last First Summer’s Day.  At the end of the day, they all join in a parade that leads them through the garden to the big Grape Arbor where the Garden Patch Ball will be held.   As night falls, they all walk under the Grape Arbor’s canopy of lush, dark leaves.  Hundreds of fireflies are blinking overhead, looking just like stars in a black sky.  They all begin to dance to the different sounds of the night, such as the night birds, crickets and frogs – oh yes, and an occasional hoot owl. 

      Have you ever walked in a garden at night and listened to the sounds all around?  Perhaps a night bird is singing a lonesome song.  Then the crickets join in – and then if you listen real hard, you can hear the tiny, tiny frogs, and the bigger ones, too, with their “rrribbit…rrribbit”..This is the music that played that magical night. 

      The next morning, all of Garden Patch is quiet.  The new day’s morning rays spread over the top of the hill and down through the garden. 

A gentle wind begins to blow.  Nothing moves on this new day accept the leaves of the vegetables on their vines.   

      All of Garden Patch will have to wait for the Summer, fall, winter and spring to pass again before there will be another “ First Summer’s Day in Garden Patch.” 

TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK WITH PICTURES, CONTACT: millievh@aol.com

Copyright 2010