Gnome ...

G nome Th omas

Written by: Martin Jandera Illustrated by: Tereza KoutnĂ­kovĂĄ

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Š Lavion s.r.o, 2012 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means without permission in writing from the publisher, Lavion Ltd.

No. 201200000

G nome Th omas

Written by: Martin Jandera Illustrated: Tereza KoutnĂ­kovĂĄ

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Happy Birthday Tom! We love you very much.

Grandma Ginny and Grandpa Sam July 2011

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ar far away in a land behind the tall mountains lives a little gnome in the middle of a deep wood, in a house made of ferns.

His name is Thomas and he is a fern gnome. Like all fern gnomes, he protects the woods, plants, and animals from evil, and especially from mean people that sometimes find their way into the woods.

Thomas is also a very good gardener. Outside his house, he has a lovely garden, which he takes good care of, and where in the spring and summer, lots of colourful flowers grow.

From early in the morning until late evening, Thomas keeps busy tending to his garden, trees, plants and animals. He works so hard he is very grateful when he gets the chance to rest for a moment, sitting in the sunshine with its rays gently tickling him.

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ike other fern gnomes Thomas isn’t big at all. In fact, he is so small he can ride a new-born fawn like a racing horse, and he is so light that he can barely stand upright when a rabbit dashes by.

But despite his size, everyone in the forest respects him.

Flowers turn their heads towards him eager to hear what he says, the trees spread their branches to shield him from the rain, and animals often invite him to their home for tea.

And what about people?

They can’t see him if he doesn’t want to be seen. Most people coming to the forest never see him, for he only shows himself to those who do something bad to the forest, and when he wants to teach them a lesson.

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homas gets angry when people hurt the forest in any way. He doesn’t like it when people throw rubbish all over the woods, make a mess and lots of noise, which frightens animals and plants. He doesn’t like it when they break off branches of young trees or kick mushrooms heads.

In particular he doesn’t like men who cut down the trees with saws and axes.

Thomas knows he cannot stop the cutting, but he does all he can to make it as difficult as possible for them. He had the idea to hide all their tools in the trees where people couldn’t see them. Without their tools, they couldn’t cut down the trees, and they would have to go back to where they came from. Then, if only for a little while, the forest would be safe again and everyone would be happy.

And what about Thomas?

He is back to work protecting the forest. Only when everything is quiet and safe, he enjoys a moment’s rest in the sun.

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