Customer Reviews

The High Hills (Brambly Hedge)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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...

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.

These beautiful little books are as charming as the little mice that inhabit the pages. The entire series is a neccesity. The stories are sweet, but it is the intricate,detailed, watercolor paintings that will captivate you and your child.

My daughter and her children and I all love the Brambly Hedge series. The stories and illustrations are fabulous. Anyone interested in porcelain will also love collecting the Brambly Hedge teaset and wall plates by Royal Doulton. Fabric is also available for quilts, tablecloths, etc. Brambly Hedge is a wonderful place to visit.

When I was a kid, I loved these books, I was delighted to find these here, as I still have my original copies from childhood. For those who love the artwork, target has the whole line!!