Jill Barklem is a British writer and illustrator of children's books. Her most famous work is the Brambly Hedge

Brambly Hedge

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...

series, published from 1980.

Biography

Jill Barklem was born in Epping

Epping

Epping is a small market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. It is located north-east of Loughton, south of Harlow and north-west of Brentwood....

, (UK) in 1951. 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. Jill is now a full-time illustrator, working on the expanding series of books about the mice of Brambly Hedge. She spent five years on research before she started to write her first stories about the mice of ‘Brambly Hedge. Her interest in natural history and her curiosity about traditional rural customs and crafts have spilled over into these chronicles of hedgerow life.

Jill Barklem is married and lives with her husband and her two children, Elizabeth and Peter, in a house near Epping Forest.

Brambly Hedge series

• Spring Story (1980)
• Summer Story (1980)
• Autumn Story (1980)
• Winter Story (1980)
• The Secret Staircase (1983)
• The High Hills (1986)
• Sea Story (1990)
• Poppy's Babies (1994)

Other editions & titles

• "Four Seasons of Brambly Hedge" (1986) contains the 4 seasonal titles and a 20 page "conversation" with the author about the origins and developments of the stories.
• "Tales from Brambly Hedge" (1997) contains the other 4 original titles: Staircase, Sea, Hills & Babies
• "Adventures of the Mice of Brambly Hedge" (1998) is a joint publication version of Autumn Story and Sea Story
• "The Mice of Brambly Hedge Celebrate" (1998) is a joint publication version of Winter Story and Secret Staircase
• "Outings for the Mice of Brambly Hedge" (1999) is a joint publication version of Spring Story and The High Hills
• "Baby Mice in Brambly Hedge" (1999) is a joint publication version of Summer Story and Poppie's Babies
• "A Visit to Brambly Hedge" (2000) a 20th anniversary special background information book.
• "Wilfred to the Rescue" (2005)
• "A Year In Brambly Hedge" (2010)

Several activity and "Toy and Moveable" books, such as "Primrose's Adventure (Brambly Hedge Sliding Pictures)" & Wilfreds Birthday Sliding Pictures ; some board books, such as "House for a Mouse", "Nice for Mice", "The Snow Ball" and (probably) Poppy and Dusty's Wedding.

External links

• The World of Brambly Hedge official site