Brambly Hedge Books by Jill Barklem

I discovered these books by Jill Barklem just last summer: Spring Story, Summer Story, Autumn Story and Winter Story, which illustrate the story of the lives of a community of mice. While visiting a local Goodwill Store and checking out the used book section, I saw Autumn Story and was delighted with the illustrations; they were so impressive and detailed and were an actual part of the story. Autumn Story came home with me, since it was not to be resisted at the cost of ninety-nine cents. Since the author was unknown to me, I searched the internet to find out about Jill Barklem and the Brambly Hedge books. I learned that these books have been reprinted more than twenty times, translated into thirteen languages and over a million copies have been sold since the publication in 1980, and although intended for small children, they were a success with readers of all ages. Wanting to have a copy of the other three, my husband turned to E-bay; the result was a large book with all four of the seasons of Brambly Hedge which included a section of conversations with Jill Barklem, illustrations of her early sketches and notebooks and traces the origins and development of Brambly Hedge. It is a wonderful book!  Now I need a copy of The Secret Staircase and The High Hills so I'll know what else has happened in Bramble Hedge.