It’s a pretty poem, even if the theology is not exactly rock-solid! But the words struck a chord, just in time to help me with a problem. I’d been grappling with the challenge of adapting one of my all-time favourite books for Focus On The Family Radio Theatre.

The Secret Garden is the best-known of the children's novels by Frances Hodgson Burnett. And I’d been longing to adapt the book for some time. It’s a wonderful story, rich in themes of family and relationship. We see how a spoilt yet neglected girl, Mary Lennox, blossoms into new life through the healing power of friendship. How Mary is then herself, in turn, equipped to help her invalid cousin Colin. And how ultimately, Colin is reconciled with his estranged father.

So far, so good. A classic tale, reflecting many of Focus On The Family’s key concerns. Indeed, as literary critic Ellen Moers wrote, "The Secret Garden of all children’s books deals most successfully from a woman’s point of view with the miseries of spoiling." But there was another aspect of the novel which offered potential problems for a Christian audience. And one chapter in particular was threatening to scupper the whole enterprise!

If you know the story, you’ll remember that - hidden away behind a wall in the grounds of Misselthwaite Manor - Mary discovers a secret garden. In time, she takes her cousin Colin to see it. He’s been confined to a sick-room all his young life, and he begins to experience the beauty of nature and growing things for the very first time. Excited and thrilled by the glory around him, he describes it as “magic”.

Much later in the novel, Frances Hodgson Burnett demonstrates that this “magic” is in fact God’s creation. Together, the children sing the Doxology, praising God “from whom all blessings flow”.

But our problem was that many people have never read the book. They know the story from the recent feature film, or the stage musical. Both of these versions completely ignored the Christian imagery implicit in the original novel, overlaying the story instead with elements of pantheism and Eastern spirituality.

And in the book, there’s that aspect of “magic” which I recognised as a problem for Focus and for some of the parents and children in our constituency. So it began to look as if we'd have to abandon the project. And yet there's so much in the story that is positive and redemptive! To quote another critic: "There are many reasons why ‘The Secret Garden’ is one of the best-loved of all stories for children... The fresh simplicity and feeling of excitement running through the book... the actual and subliminal change from dark to light, from stuffiness to fresh air, from misery to joy... We can readily accept that a child like Mary who has been both spoiled and neglected in childhood should actually have to learn to be interested in other people - and so forget herself."

Then as I gazed at the old sundial, I realized we could reclaim The Secret Garden for a new generation of children. In our adaptation, we could highlight the redemptive and Christian qualities of the book, and leave aside the other aspects. In other words, we would choose the light side of the sundial, rather than the shadow! For surely, at heart, the symbolism of the garden relates back to Eden, where the wonder and joy of God’s creation was new and fresh and untainted.

Frances Hodgson Burnett once wrote: "With the best that I have in me, I have tried to write more happiness into the world."

And she succeeded. The Secret Garden has been a much-loved children's book for almost a century. So I’m hugely excited that we've been able to make this brand-new version of the story for Radio Theatre. Our star-studded cast is headed by the renowned British actress Dame Joan Plowright, widow of Sir Laurence Olivier. Her many films include Tea With Mussolini, 101 Dalmations, Enchanted April and one of the leading voices in Walt Disney's Dinosaur - as well as the upcoming feature film Return To The Secret Garden. Also starring are Prunella Scales, Alex Jennings and Ron Moody, who memorably portrayed Fagin in the Oscar-winning movie musical Oliver!