The Complete Brambley Hedge - Jill Barkin

If there's any children's fiction that should have been a classic and has somehow been overlooked, then Brambley Hedge is it. Everyone knows Pooh Bear and Peter Rabbit, but the mice in brambly hedge have been sadly under exposed. Not only are the tales charming, but the illustrations are lovely. There are four books in the original set (yes, I have the original,)and each book deals with a season of the year. The unfolding story is influenced by the time of year, and filled with details about the weather, the state of the hedgerow and the like. In the summer tiny bottles are floated in the stream to keep them cool, in Autumn, the mice must carefully make ...  Read the complete review

Bedtime, and my three and a half year old son is stalling for time again. Not that I mind because his chief method of doing this is to ask for a story, and he always asks for Brambly Hedge. What a treat (I mean for me!) This book is a gift for parents who like to read to their children at bedtime. The stories are gentle depictions of the lives of a number of mice who live in the hedgerow. There are no karate chopping mutated superheros and no talking trains/cars/helicopters. Bliss! This collection contains about eight stories with an introduction from the author, Jill Barkin, explaining how the various characters came about. They are all very ...  Read the complete review