Paul F. Belard

A Summer in Eden Paul F. Belard

Paul, an adventurous ten-year old with his own sense of derring-do and a boundless curiosity, finds himself transported from the suburbs of Paris to a rugged region of France. Time has stood still among these mountains. At his uncle's farm, there are no bathrooms, no running water. As he joins his two cousins, the trio gets into mischief and adventures rivaling those of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Their pranks provide an under current of relief from the duress of farm work. Soon, Paul becomes the farm's shepherd. With his unruly dog Kiki as sole companion, he experiences the awakening of wonder at nature's miracles and harshness. He catches crawfish by hand, causes a panic with fire crachers, manages to lose an entire herd of cows, sending the family on a frantic search. This is an ode to life.