Jill Barklem

Jill Barklem is best known as the creator of Brambly Hedge, a series of beautifully illustrated books that have become beloved staples in many British households. Her work captures a timeless, idyllic vision of rural life - complete with harvests, snowballs, jam-making, and the sort of miniature domestic bliss that’s as comforting as a slice of fruitcake by the fire.

Born in Epping in 1951, Barklem was a quiet, observant child who spent much of her time sketching and reading. An eye injury in her youth kept her from the usual rough-and-tumble of school life, which may explain the precision and care in her later artwork. She went on to study illustration at Central Saint Martins in London, and though she didn’t set out to become a children’s author, her love of nature, folklore, and traditional English countryside living gradually came together in the world she created among the hedgerows.

Brambly Hedge was first published in 1980, and from the very beginning, it stood apart. The stories follow a community of mice who live in the roots and trunks of an old hedgerow, tucked away in hollow trees and cosy burrows. But this isn’t the wild, survivalist world of many animal tales - there are no predators here, no peril or tragedy. Instead, Barklem’s mice celebrate midwinter feasts, go boating in the summer, and prepare for seasonal changes with a quiet, industrious joy. They embroider, bake, and gather berries; they wear pinafores and waistcoats. It’s delightfully detailed and unapologetically gentle.

What truly sets Barklem’s books apart are the illustrations. Every page is a treasure trove of intricate watercolours, filled with cutaway drawings of tree-trunk homes, kitchen shelves stacked with preserves, and wildflower-filled meadows. The level of detail is astonishing - you can spend ages peering at a single spread, spotting new things each time. Barklem carried out meticulous research into rural traditions, architecture, and natural history to ensure that everything in Brambly Hedge was accurate, right down to the tools in a carpenter’s shed or the plants growing along a path.

There’s a distinct Englishness to her work - rooted not just in setting, but in tone. The stories are gentle, polite, and quietly humorous. No grand dramas unfold; rather, they celebrate the everyday: the planning of a wedding, the arrival of spring, or a birthday surprise. In a way, they mirror the traditions of village life, where community and the turning of the seasons hold the rhythm of the year.

Though Jill Barklem passed away in 2017, her books continue to find new readers - children who delight in the cosy world of Brambly Hedge, and adults who find in them a bit of calm in an often chaotic world. In an age where noise and speed dominate, her work is a whisper of another way of living: slower, softer, and in harmony with nature.

Jill Barklem didn’t just write and illustrate children’s books - she built a world, lovingly and beautifully, that we can all step into whenever we need a little peace. I absulutely adore her work!!!