Brambly Hedge is a series of illustrated books for children written by Jill Barklem.The Brambly Hedge series is based around a community of self-sufficient mice who live together in the tranquil surroundings of the English countryside. The books are written and illustrated by Jill Barklem, with the first book being published in 1980. The first four books follow a seasonal pattern of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The latter four books follow the adventures of The Secret Staircase, The High Hills, Sea Story and Poppy’s Babies.
Contents |
Her interest in natural history and traditional rural customs and crafts has spilled over into these chronicles of hedgerow life. She lives with her husband and children near Epping Forest in England.
Since the 1980s the characters of Brambly Hedge began to appear on merchandise ranging from china to chocolate, stationary to pewter miniatures. Companies such as Royal Doulton, Hantel, Crummles and Border Fine Arts have all produced collectible pieces licensed from Brambly Hedge. This merchandise is in demand by Brambly Hedge collectors all around the world and some pieces are worth a substantial amount of money.
All eight books have been adapted into television specials, the first four by Cosgrove Hall Films (1996) and the remainder by Hot Animation (1998–99). Winter Story was first broadcast on Christmas Day 1996 on BBC1. The series features the voices of Neil Morrissey, June Whitfield, Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Coleman, Robert Lindsay and Rosemary Leach.
In 2008, HiT Entertainment and Reader's Digest Video created a DVD series based on the books called The Enchanted World of Brambly Hedge.