A Visit to Brambly Hedge

Brambly Hedge

by Jill Barklem

Where is the hedge that inspired Jill's famous stories and beautiful illustrations? How do the mice make the delicious food that is mouth-wateringly described in the stories? Where did Jill get her references for the Mill and the Dairy? All these questions and more are answered in this unique visit to Brambly Hedge. For the first time, Jill Barklem shares with her readers the story behind BRAMBLY HEDGE. This unique book contains delicious recipes for the sorts of food the mice love best, including how to make your own hazelnut butter. There are also games and activities and short stories. In amongst all this are photos of the countryside which inspired Jill Barklem to write her famous books. Combining previously unpublished artwork and photos, this is a collector's item for all ages who have come to know and love Brambly Hedge. AGE 7+ as well as appealing to adult collectors.

Genres: Childrens, Nonfiction, Picture Books

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2000

About the author

Jill Barklem (1951-November 15, 2017) was a British writer and illustrator of children's books. Her most famous work is the Brambly Hedge series.

After an accident when she was thirteen, Jill was unable to take part in PE or games at school and instead developed her talent for drawing and art. On leaving school, she studied illustration at St Martin's in London. She became a full-time illustrator. She spent five years on research before she started to write her first stories about the mice of Brambly Hedge.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for such a long time. I grew up with the Brambly Hedge stories and love them dearly. Reading this book made me feel closer to the characters and their world and how it operates, along with the author and artist. I also enjoyed the photos of Jill’s studio and look forward to trying some of the recipes. It’s amazing and inspiring how much work and care went into each detail. I would highly recommend it.

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟 If you're a fan of the Brambly Hedge world, you will love this illustrated companion!

Not only do you get to see Jill Barklem's initial sketches of your favorite scenes, but you will learn where she got some of her inspiration from—and even photos of the exact location or nature element that she was familiar with in everyday life.

Everything about this book was cozy, sweet and so full of hedge-y goodness. I only wish that there was more information and photos about Jill Barklem herself (there is a little at the end of the book) because I was even more interested in her and her art after finishing this beautiful hardcover book.

Also, I kept wanting to "zoom in" on every illustration/page so I could see more details. Make sure you have a magnifying glass nearby (if you are on the older side, like me) just in case. You won't want to miss some of the special, tiny details that this talented author/illustrator has added to each work of art.

Many thanks to my dear friend, Caro (@carosbookcase on Instagram), for gifting me this lovely book! I will treasure it always!

[Lorie LovesBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun look behind the scenes of Brambly Hedge, a little biography of the author and photographs of the real life nature that inspired the art work. Also includes information on the books and more details about the characters and their homes.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful behind the scenes look at how the very talented and sadly missed Jill Barklem created Brambly Hedge world. The book shows how early illustrations lead to the illustrations we know and love.

[Inspiration Station · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was more a summary of the different books written by Jill Barklem. Of course the illustrations were beautifully detailed, but I thought it would be more about how Jill came to write them. There were a few pages at the end that shared this, but I would have loved more.

[aimee louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful illustrations

[Luminous Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely! I really enjoyed this Brambly Hedge companion book! The biographical details were particularly fascinating.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using this as a filter for a book not in the system however I recently read this book and it was very good! I love Brambly Hedge!!!