Lulu Bell and the Magical Garden by Belinda Murrell

Chapter 1
Sunny Sunday
    It was a sunny, summery Sunday afternoon. The Bell family had spent the morning at the beach swimming, surfing and building sandcastles. Now Lulu, Rosie, Gus and Mum were in The Hidden Garden.
    Lulu loved coming here. The Hidden Garden was a big walled nursery brimming with potted plants of all kinds.Mum always took her time choosing which plants to buy. This left plenty of time for Lulu and her brother and sister to explore.
    There was a pebbled path that led through the nursery. At the very end of the path was a pond filled with huge goldfish and croaky, green frogs. Yellow and pink waterlilies floated on the water. An aviary by the pond held brightly coloured parakeets that swooped and sang.

    To the right was a shady jungle area, with towering palms and ferns. To the left were bushes of native plants, as well as a section of desert cactuses. On either side of the path, right through the middle, were rows and rows of sweet-smelling flowers in a rainbow of colours.
    Dotted among the plants were statues of angels, cherubs, dragons and mermaids. A high wall ran right around the nursery, making the garden feel secret and hidden.
    Mum and Lulu stood before a stand of herb and vegetable seedlings. They were choosing plants for the vegetable garden at home.
    â€˜We need some lettuce and some spinach,’ said Mum. She put the pots in the basket she held over her arm. ‘Anything else, honey bun?’
    Lulu picked up a punnet of feathery green seedlings.
    â€˜Can we get some carrots? And some sweet corn?’ asked Lulu. ‘The corn we grew last year was the best.’
    â€˜Oh, good idea,’ said Mum. ‘And maybe some beans.’ She put the punnets in the basket with the other vegetables.
    Rosie and Gus were playing chasings along the pathways between the plants.
    Millie, the owner of The Hidden Garden, was pushing a wheelbarrow down the main path. She grinned and swerved the barrow around the two children. A black labrador called Mo trotted after her.
    He bounded up to Lulu and pushed his muzzle into her hand. Lulu stroked his back.
    â€˜Hello, Mo. Have you been eating any socks lately?’

    â€˜No socks, thank goodness,’ said Millie, with a chuckle. ‘Although he did eat a box of crayons last week. He was doing multicoloured poos for days.’
    Mo had a very bad habit of eating things he shouldn’t. He was one of Dad’s regular patients. Last Easter he had to visit the Shelly Beach Vet Hospital after eating three pairs of socks. Another time he had eaten a pair of spectacles and a whole cushion, bit by bit.
    Lulu laughed and ruffled Mo’s ears. ‘Silly boy. When will you learn not to eat everything you see?’
    Mo looked up at her with his big doggie eyes, as if to say, ‘I didn’t mean to be naughty.’
    â€˜What gorgeous sunflowers, Millie,’ said Mum. Millie’s wheelbarrow was filled with sunflower plants that weretaller than Rosie. The bright yellow flowers danced and bobbed on top of their stalks as if they were little suns.
    â€˜Aren’t they divine?’ said Millie. ‘I think they’re my favourite summertime flowers.’
    Rosie and Gus came dashing back from their game of chasings.
    â€˜Mum,’ began Rosie, ‘can we buy one to take home? Please?’
    â€˜Why not?’ said Mum. ‘It will look gorgeous growing right in the centre of our veggie patch.’
    Millie pointed out the tallest sunflower with a big yellow face. ‘How about this one, Rosie? It’s a good, strong plant. And it’s so tall already!’
    Rosie beamed up at Millie. ‘It’s beautiful. I’ll water it every day.’
    â€˜Maybe just every third day,’ said Millie, with a smile.
    â€˜Millie! Millie! Can we feed the fishies ?’ asked Gus.
    â€˜Of course, Gus,’ said Millie.
    Millie gave the kids a scoop of fish pellets from a jar on a shelf. Lulu, Rosie and Gus ran to the