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The Complete Brambly Hedge: The gorgeously illustrated children’s classics delighting kids and parents! Hardcover – Picture Book, March 3, 2015
Purchase options and add-ons
Enter the beautiful world of Brambly Hedge with this exquisite treasury containing all eight of the much-loved, classic picture books.
Explore the natural world with the mice of Brambly Hedge, who made their first appearance in 1980 when the four seasonal stories were published. Ever since, readers have loved exploring the miniature world of the hedgerow and meeting the families that live there.
In this collection the mice have many adventures, but they always have time for fun and relaxation too. Whatever the season, and whether they are by the sea, in the hills, or simply at home by the fire, there is always someone ready to lend a helping hand.
Contains: Spring Story, Summer Story, Autumn Story, Winter Story, Poppy’s Babies, Sea Story, The High Hills, The Secret Staircase.
- Print length248 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions1 x 7.7 x 9.7 inches
- PublisherHarperCollinsChildren’sBooks
- Publication dateMarch 3, 2015
- ISBN-100007450168
- ISBN-13978-0007450169
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From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“…the most researched-crammed fantasy ever set before small children…” Sunday Times Magazine
“Spring Story, Summer Story, Autumn Story and Winter Story are beautiful tales…nostalgic Mums can enjoy them with their own kids.” The Sun (Natasha Harding
“Incredible illustrations…” @father_of_daughters, Instagram
“If I [were] a mouse, this is where I’d wanna live” @britneyspears, Instagram
“An ideal lockdown read” The Times
Book Description
The gorgeously illustrated children’s classics delighting kids and parents!
About the Author
Jill Barklem was drawn to the natural world from childhood. While training as an illustrator at St Martin’s School of Art, her long journeys to college gave her time to escape into the imaginary world of a colony of mice, later to be developed as the enchanting miniature world of Brambly Hedge.
Product details
- Publisher : HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks; 40th Anniversary edition (March 3, 2015)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 248 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0007450168
- ISBN-13 : 978-0007450169
- Reading age : 4 - 7 years, from customers
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 1 x 7.7 x 9.7 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #7,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22 in Children's Mouse & Rodent Books
- #186 in Children's Classics
- #261 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books
- Customer Reviews:
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Take a look inside this beautifully illustrated book!
Jen Lawrence
About the author
In 1980 Collins published four little picture books by a young author and illustrator, Jill Barklem.
SPRING STORY, SUMMER STORY, AUTUMN STORY and WINTER STORY chronicle in astonishing illustrative detail, the lives and adventures of a community of mice who live in Brambly Hedge. Brambly Hedge is an idyllic spot where old values flourish and seasonal self-sufficiency is the order of the day.
Intended for small children, the books were an immediate success with readers of all ages and the books have been translated in to over thirteen languages and sold over seven million copies.
Jill was born in Epping, Essex, a town sheltered from London’s urban expansion by an ancient woodland, Epping Forest. Jill’s father came from a long line of London drapers and owned an old fashioned department store on Epping High Street. As a child Jill always enjoyed being close to nature, spending much of her time at the end of the garden watching spiders going about their busy lives.
At the age of thirteen, Jill suffered a detached retina; this would result in her no longer being able to take part in sport at school. Instead she would spend afternoons in the art room or leafing through books in the library. Jill found great pleasure in drawing flowers and twigs, a pleasure that would shape the years to come.
The intensive research that Jill carried out created the self sufficient community that became Brambly Hedge. The clothes the mice wear are spun by paw driven looms, the flour for bread is created using a fully functional water mill. Many of the details of Brambly Hedge can be traced back to British agricultural processes of the past. The harnessing of wind and waterpower, the imaginative use of ingredients, the preserving of fruits in the autumn for winter use, the ceremonies and celebrations that mark the turning points of the year.
The incredible detail of her work soon caught the eye of Harper Collins publishers. When the first four books were released, the Sunday Times Magazine described them as “the most research-crammed fantasy ever set before small children”. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Stories were published in the autumn of 1980. The success of the first four books was followed by The Secret Staircase in 1983, The High Hills in 1986, Sea Story in 1990 and Poppy’s Babies in 1994.
This second phase of books saw Jill drawing inspiration from further afield than her roots in Epping Forest. The rocky crags of the central Lake District inspired The High Hills, while Sea Story took her to the north Norfolk coast and the Suffolk estuaries.
Whilst illustrating Poppy’s Babies Jill had difficulty focusing on the images she was creating, by the last few illustrations she was only able to see half the page she was working on, the rest had simply disappeared. Jill would need a complicated operation to relieve pressure from her optic nerve. Whilst the operation was a success, she suffered a series of medical setbacks and decided that she would take a break from what had been a very busy fifteen years.
An extensive range of merchandise followed the success of the books. Royal Doulton figurines and tableware quickly became collectors’ items and are still sought after to this day. There have been painting books, stationary, cards, audio books and many more items to accompany the Brambly Hedge book series.
1996 saw Brambly Hedge move from the page to the screen. The television version of the first four seasons was created using stop frame animation and highly sophisticated puppets. The characters were brought to life with the voices of Robert Lindsay, Charlotte Coleman, June Whitfield, Neil Morrissey and Jim Broadbent. The BBC broadcast the first episode at 4.15pm on Christmas Day 1996 to an audience of over seven million people. The success of the first four productions were followed with adaptations of the latter four books. The series was subsequently released on VHS and DVD
Sadly Jill’s health continued to deteriorate as time went on, and on 15th November 2017, she passed away peacefully. She was just 66 years old.
In order to keep the books and ethos alive for many generations to come, Jill’s family are now managing Brambly Hedge, and are marking the 40th anniversary of Brambly Hedge by publishing new editions with Harper Collins Children's Books.
The world has changed dramatically since the first publication of Brambly Hedge back in 1980, but the ethos of Brambly Hedge remains unchanged. Community spirit, seasonal cooking and sustainability are perhaps more relevant in today’s world than ever before.
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Top reviews from the United States
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I am very pleased with the book, the illustrations are absolutely lovely and captured all of our attention, the stories are simple but we enjoy them. Very wholesome, just as I was looking for. I plan to buy more in the future as gifts for my daughter's friends.
Her favorite story is the Sea Story.
We have read this book cover-to-cover multiple times. Filled with heart warming and wholesome stories this makes a great gift for any family with young children.
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024
Her favorite story is the Sea Story.
We have read this book cover-to-cover multiple times. Filled with heart warming and wholesome stories this makes a great gift for any family with young children.
Top reviews from other countries
O meu apenas veio com uma pequena mancha preta na borda do papel, mas nada demais.
Besides that, the stories and artwork are incredible. We love reading them! It’s definitely a classic.
Reviewed in Italy on April 8, 2024