I learned about these books through Snapdragons, a blog about the domestic adventures of a new mom. The author of the blog had grown up reading these stories and was very excited about the prospect of sharing them with her own child. I'd never heard of them, but as I'm always on the look out for new books to read with The Four-Year-Old, I spent a week or two hunting them down. Jill was born in Epping, the daughter of John and Ivy Gaze, who ran Pynes Stores, a family-owned department store in the town. At Loughton high school she suffered a detached retina that allowed her to skip all sports and concentrate on art and botany. After St Martin’s, she wrote a handful of picture books for Lion publishing and later contributed illustrations to some of their religious books. In neither was she able to include her visions of the English countryside, and always felt these books were less than her best. I adored these books as a child so I thought I would revisit them and I was really pleased to find all the Brambley Hedge stories in the one book, including ones I hadn't read. It follows a little mouse village set in the Brambly Hedge and goes throughout the year, following the various inhabitants as they go on adventures. Winter Story Deep in the dark roots of Brambly Hedge tiny lights appeared as lamps were lit in the windows. The cold of winter has set in and a blanket of snow has fallen. There hasn't been this much snow in years and according to tradition, it is time for the Snow Ball.

Sadly, the books appear to be a UK phenomenon, which means it's hard to find copies of them in the U.S. When I consulted my librarian, she found a spin-off by Alan MacDonald called Wilfred to the Rescue. While the story was cute and the illustrations engaging, it was hard to see from this book exactly why Snapdragons would write about the Brambly Hedge mice with such passionate devotion. (I should probably mention here that The Four-Year-Old adored Wilfred to the Rescue. I liked it myself. I just didn't find it exceptional.) The books, whose first titles were published in 1980, are written and illustrated by Barklem. The first four books follow the seasonal pattern of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Her later four books follow the mice's various adventures and activities.Two of the house's three bedrooms have king-sized beds and are beautifully furnished to create a private place to retreat at the end of the day. Both rooms have rural views and an HD Smart TV.

Summer Story (1980) – The mice celebrate a special wedding, and everyone takes part in the preparations. Uno splendido paesaggio bianco si prospetta ai loro occhi il mattino seguente, tutto è coperto di neve, i prati, i sentieri, le piante. Tutti gli abitanti del bosco, entusiasti, decidono di organizzare una festa "Il ballo della neve". I get completely absorbed into the quaint little world that the author has created. I adore these stories and will continue to enjoy them with all of the children in my life. Summer Story "Poppy Eyebright, do you love Dusty Dogwood and will you love him and care for him for ever and ever?"Young Poppy and Dusty fall in love over the course of the summer and soon the whole village begins to prepare for a wedding! Big shower room with underfloor heating, a heated towel rail, a walk-in shower, WC and a handbasin.Brambly Hedge is a series of illustrated children's books by Jill Barklem, recounting the adventures of a community of mice who live together in the tranquil surroundings of the English countryside. The writer described Brambly Hedge as a loving and caring society. The tales involve conflict resolution within nature or exploration, and/or the adventures of working together to achieve a common goal. There are no unkind characters or predators.

Poppy's Babies Dusty and Poppy, who were married in the Summer Story have just had their first bundle of joy - or should I say bundles? Poppy is absolutely in love with her trio of babies but with Dusty's dusty mill constantly bringing messes into the house and loud noises, Poppy just cannot live in that spot anymore. The stories are charming, but it's the illustrations with their incredibly rich detail that won my heart. Small wonder each drawing took Jill Barklem three months to complete. (Each book in the series is the product of two years' effort.) Take a look at these illustrations.. It's dreamy, isn't it? This book had the power to make me wander with my imagination with those little mice. I was one of them and their adventures and life happenings were truly the best. The Complete Brambly Hedge (1999) — 1 volume, produced for The Book People/Ted Smart by HarperCollins (7.75x10in) After graduating she became an illustrator for children's bibles and a series of collections of prayers and graces. Under her maiden name she illustrated the Haffertee Hamster books by Janet and John Perkins.

News from the Hedgerow

Despite our concerns about the condition of the tree, it was deemed to be in very good health considering the damage, with plenty of new growth in the upper branches,” he said. The City of London Corporation, which looks after Epping Forest, “are now aware of its little literary connection”.