The High Hills (Brambly Hedge) [Hardcover]

Jill Barklem (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Series: Brambly Hedge

It was the very end of autumn, and Flax and Lily were busy making blankets for the voles in the High Hills. Mr. Apple had to deliver the blankets to them before the cold weather set in, and Wilfred Toadflax was eager to go along. He was convinced there was gold to be found in the hills beyond Brambly Hedge, and this was his chance to discover it.

Everything went according to plan until Wilfred scrambled up a rock face and couldn't get down. The mist began to rise, and soon Mr. Apple and Wilfred were engulfed in a thick white fog, unable to find their way home...

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4 Absolutely stunning watercolor illustrations, full of rich details, perfectly capture the tone of this charming story about the field mice who reside in Brambly Hedge. The voles in the High Hills are in desperate need of new blankets before the cold weather arrives, and young mouse Wilfred decides to accompany Mr. Apple on his good-will mission to deliver the mouse-made quilts. Wilfred welcomes the opportunity to explore unknown territory and dreams of discovering gold on his journey. Mr. Apple and Wilfred bravely face the obstacles they encounter, and lucky Wilfred returns home with a surprise treasure after all. Young children will enjoy hearing of Wilfred's adventures (older children can handle the clearly written text themselves), and will find much to delight the eye in the old-fashioned and cheerful pictures.Bonnie R. Wheatley, Ravenscroft Lower School, Raleigh, N.C.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Jill Barklem spent five years on research before she started to write her stories about the mice of Brambly Hedge.

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.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689830912
• ISBN-13: 978-0689830914
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,420,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent books, February 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The High Hills (Brambly Hedge) (Hardcover)

All of the Brambly Hedge books are wonderful. The stories are gentle and imaginative, and the illustrations are detailed and creative. I'd give all of them 5 stars except for one thing: the size of the books. On one hand their smaller size gives them a certain charm, but the first Brambly Hedge book I saw was one I took from the library in a "standard" picture book size, and you could just get lost in the illustrations. The smaller size of these books detracts from the loveliness of the pictures -- it's much more difficult to pick out the wonderful details, and the color is also a little less vibrant than the version I had seen, again making it hard to pick things out. What a disappointment, because the illustrations are half the charm of the books. If they had only made these books larger, they'd be perfect in every way.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming, gentle adventure story, January 5, 2000

By 

Deborah Rochefort (Eastern WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The High Hills (Brambly Hedge) (Hardcover)

As in all the Brambly Hedge stories, a sweet story combined with exquisite watercolor illustrations makes this a perfect read-aloud story for the very young -- although older children and adults are certainly not immune from its charm! Those who have an interest in the fiber arts will especially appreciate the plot, as spinning, weaving -and especially dyeing- play an intregal part in this adventure. The adventure itself is gently humorous and nicely evocative of the beauty and hardship of mountain terrains. My 3-yr-old daughter finds it a great inspiration, slinging on her backpack to pretend she is like the young mouse Wilfred Toadflax, intrepid explorer...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely but recommend for over 4 years, June 14, 2009

By 

Susan Brewer (Bozeman, MT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The High Hills (Brambly Hedge) (Hardcover)

This is a lovely book. The story is sweet with a twist, and the drawings are beautiful. Like another reviewer, I wish that the books were larger so that every detail of the illustrations could be seen well and lingered over. My grandson is 4 1/2 and I find that he is still a little too young for this book. He loved the illustrations and the story, but I did have to edit a bit, as it is rather wordy for his age, and his attention span isn't fabulous. He has an excellent vocabulary, but there were still some words that needed explaining, which broke the spell but which I considered a learning experience. The bottom line is that I read him to sleep with this book, and I enjoyed it, too.