Woodbine-Arbor; or, The Little Gardeners: A Story of a Happy Childhood

In a pleasant country home near New York, six cheerful brothers and sisters share a beautiful garden of their own. Their parents encourage them to spend their free hours in healthy, useful work, tending flowers and fruit while learning the value of obedience, kindness, and perseverance. With child-sized tools in hand, the young gardeners dig, rake, plant, water, and carefully keep their little plot neat.

When spring arrives, the children decide to build a shady arbor where they can rest after their labors. Working together, they plan the frame, raise the poles, nail on the boards, and furnish the finished retreat with seats and a table. Woodbine and climbing roses soon promise to cover the structure with leaves, blossoms, and fragrance.

Their garden is also a place for thoughtful family celebrations. As their parents’ wedding anniversary approaches, each child chooses special flowers to arrange into bouquets—a loving gift that reflects the happy cooperation at the heart of their home.