The true story behind it
This one comes straight from my family. My great-aunt, the one we called Punchi Achchi, kept a very old handwritten book of home remedies, the natural mixtures many Sri Lankan households once relied on and passed down. I was fascinated by it as a boy. My father’s side reached further back into traditional medicine too: his grandfather was a village animal-healer, and a grand-uncle even wrote out cures in Sinhala verse. So when I sat down to write, I gave Bramble the bear an old recipe from his grandfather and a forest full of sniffling animals to help. He can’t gather the rare ingredients on his own, which is where Kitty and Dino come in. It’s my small way of honoring that gentle, generational habit of caring for others.
What happens in the story
Bramble the bear is the forest’s gentle healer, and a wave of coughs and sniffles has the animals feeling poorly. He has his grandfather’s old recipe, but it calls for things that are hard to find: purple-tipped mint by a cold stream, red berries at the top of the tallest tree, and white clay buried deep underground. With Kitty chilling the water and opening the earth, and Dino growing climbing vines, the three friends gather every piece and brew the cure together. A cozy autumn story about kindness, teamwork and looking after one another.
Look inside
Flip through the opening pages of the book.
Perfect for
- ✓ Kids who love helping and caring for others
- ✓ Talking about kindness and teamwork
- ✓ Little ones who like nature, plants and gentle adventure
- ✓ A cozy autumn bedtime read
Quick answers
A cozy story about caring for others
One short story. One kind bear and a forest to heal. Ready for tonight.
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