Description

Rose helps the mice of Brambly Hedge gather their autumn harvest. They collect blackberries, nuts, seeds and roots for winter. But play draws the young mouse away from her work. She wanders into the woods and loses her way. Night falls, and rain makes her journey home more urgent. Her home is the palace in the old oak.

This illustrated children’s tale follows a small community through seasonal change. The mice live among tree roots and trunks. Their thorny hedge stands between a field and a stream. They gather wild fruit and flowers from the nearby fields. They make jam, pickles and other preserves for their winter stores. A storeroom in a tree stump keeps these supplies safe. Work leaves room for games and shared meals, too. Birthdays, weddings and new seasons all bring the mice together.

Jill Barklem presents this world as her ideal of life. Its creatures care for each other and value the natural world. This is the third book in the Desișul de Muri series. The edition includes Barklem’s colour pictures and poet Mara Wagner’s translation from English.