Nature Mysteries

A wonderful collection of heart-warming stories from best-selling author Holly Webb, perfect for animal-loving children.

Theodosia Throckmorton has her hands full at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London. Her father may be head curator, but it is Theoand only Theowho is able to see all the black magic and ancient curses that still cling to the artifacts in the museum. Sneaking behind her fathers back, Theo uses old, nearly forgotten Egyptian magic to remove the curses and protect her father and the rest of the museum employees from the ancient, sinister forces that lurk in the museums dark hallways.

No self-respecting Head of Ranch Security would be caught dead sleeping on the job...so when Slim catches Hank asleep, not once but TWICE, Hank knows something sinister is afoot. And, if that's the case, then odds are that Pete the Barncat is involved. Later that day, the case takes an interesting twist when Hank learns that Pete has been missing for two days! Worried about her precious kitty, Sally May asks Slim and Hank to find and rescue Pete from whatever trouble he might’ve found himself in.

Tricked-up pickup! Hank the Cowdog is about to go on the ride of his life! When the old pickup truck breaks down, Slim ends up with a brand-new model on loan while the old one gets fixed. But Hank is used to the simple life on the ranch and doesn't know what to do when faced with power windows and door locks.

While Freddy the pig relaxes in his best cowboy outfit and sings a song, he decides that he needs a vacation. He will ride his pony, Cy, out West. He'll see some wide-open spaces and maybe find some excitement. But before Freddy can leave, the excitement finds him first. Uncle Ben races up to the farm and asks Freddy for help. A pack of sneaky spies is trying to steal Uncle Ben's plans for building a flying saucer.

Leroy Ninker is a small man with a big dream: he wants to be a cowboy, but for now he's just a thief. In fact, Leroy is robbing the Watsons' kitchen right this minute! As he drags the toaster across the counter ( screeeeeech) and drops it into his bag ( clannngggg), little does he know that a certain large pig who loves toast with a great deal of butter is stirring from sleep.

Hank couldn't be more thrilled when Beulah the Collie comes to the ranch looking for help. It turns out her beau, Plato the Bird Dog, has wandered off in search of the elusive Great White Quail. With Plato out of the picture, Hank is convinced that he'll finally be able to win Beulah's affections. So he takes up the mission, hoping to score some points with his beloved.

Blue River Creek has a problem: there's a pet thief on the loose! Or at least, Sofia and Iggy are convinced that there is, once their pets go missing. But as a scientist, Ada knows it's important not to jump to conclusions and to follow the facts. How will they find out what really happened to the town's pets? By using the Scientific Method, of course! Through making a hypothesis, collecting data, and experimentation, the Questioneers must find the missing animals before even more pets disappear!

Every shadow hides a secret, and every whisper is a potential threat. I’m an enchantress, who’s stuck with an insufferable wolf shifter. An unsettling dark power threatens to consume the town of Ravensgate. We're plunged into a web of deceit, rituals, and rogue magic practitioners. Working together isn't a choice—it's a necessity. But as our battles force us together, I'm torn between our burning animosity and our burning passions. To save Ravensgate, we must combat our enemies and our own desires, but if we falter, the darkness will claim us all. Do we have the strength to face the ...

Hank runs into a dispute with a giant bullfrog over the Emerald Pond. Then, there's a battle with a...well, let's just say a monster. It's too scary to even tell what kind of monster it is! However, things get really tough when Hank is entrusted with the job of guarding Little Alfred's soon-to-be prize winning chicks.

Judy Moody is in a mood. A sleuthing, Nancy Drew kind of mood. So what’s a WBMS (world’s best mystery solver) to do? Go find a mystery, that’s what! And she doesn’t have to snoop for long: when Mr. Chips, a beloved crime-dog-in-training, goes missing, Judy Drewdy and her chums, agents Dills Pickle (Frank), Spuds Houdini (Rocky), and James Madagascar (Stink) find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a real-life, scare-your-pants-off whodunit. Was Mr. Chips stolen by dirty dognappers? And why are chocolate-chip cookies disappearing all over town?

What happens when nature calls – and someone falls – prey to a vicious killer? Naturalist Kristen Matthews is heading up a team of volunteers working to eradicate pesky weeds during a workday at the Nature Station. When one of the volunteers wanders away from the rest of the group and ends up eradicated himself, Kristen is concerned for her safety, as well as the Nature Station’s reputation. She starts digging and unearths some interesting dirt on her squeaky clean helpers. Is it possible one of them despised the victim enough to kill him? Follow Kristen’s lead, as she wades through...

When Hank makes the mistake of asking Drover what he's doing, Drover reveals his observation that the moon looks like a cookie! After some highly scientific discussion and calculations, Hank and Drover agree that the moon is a cookie, not swiss chesse. And, when Loper sets down Sally May's picnic basket, which contains some oatmeal raisin cookies, the plot thickens, and Hank realizes the cookie moon was a sign that he should...you'll never guess what!

Marine Biologist Doc Ford has a new mission for Sharks Inc.: visit Sanibel Island’s remote Bone Field to find a wild orange tree that's survived a disease destroying Florida’s citrus. There, the members of Sharks Incorporated find oranges unlike any they’ve ever seen but can’t find the tree Doc needs. Worse, the area is protected by a massive saltwater crocodile.

Walter the Cat is a star, but is he too famous for his own good? The Boxcar Children must find out who's trying to ruin this cat's career!

On a blustery day in late fall, Hank sneaks into the back of Slim's pickup and finds himself at a neighboring rancher's fall branding...the very neighbor, in fact, who owns the gorgeous Miss Scamper the Beagle! Unfortunately, Miss Scamper has always been a little hard to figure out, and he can't decide if she's crazy about him...or just plain crazy. And, as the day unfolds, it even begins to look like she's angling to land him in a heap of trouble with her pit bull boyfriend, Steel!

On a tip from Pete the Barncat, Hank the Cowdog and his faithful second-in-command, Drover, go in search of the fabled pot of chicken at the end of the rainbow. But before they can find it, Rip and Snort find them. There's only one way out - Hank challenges the coyote brothers to the Deadly Ha-Ha Game.

It's scrap day on the ranch, and Hank is looking forward to a delicious feast of juicy, fatty bacon scraps. But just as Little Alfred is doling out the goods, two very unusual-looking creatures fly overhead, and what was promising to be a glorious day takes a dramatic turn for the worse. Suddenly the scraps have vanished, and the Head of Ranch Security finds himself dealing with an invasion by a couple of ancient dinosaur birds! Can Hank get to the bottom of this latest mystery...before it's too late?

The world’s shark population is in trouble for a sad, simple reason: shark fin soup. And although it’s illegal, poachers have been targeting Florida’s biannual migration of blacktip sharks. Marine biologist Doc Ford needs some assistance protecting the sharks and enlists the help of three kids - Luke, Maribel, and Sabina. Luke is brand-new to Florida from the Midwest; sisters Maribel and Sabina have only recently arrived from Cuba - and all three feel like fish out of water. It’s going to take some convincing for them to work as a team.

Help solve the mystery with the detective dog, set sail on an exciting adventure in the flying bath and cook up a feast for a very fussy king! This collection includes stories from four of Julia's illustrator partnerships: David Roberts, Sara Ogilvie, Catherine Rayner and Rebecca Cobb.