The elderflowers have transformed from fragrant white blossoms to beautiful berries…and it feels like summer has not even started yet. Late spring was very frosty for us, and summer so far has been a strange mix cool, cloudy, and breezy followed by intense heat and torrential rain. So far it’s certainly not a summer to remember for the fine weather!
Whilst the summer sun may not have been very busy, we certainly have been! Following hot on the heels the new Spring Story paperback, our new paperback edition of Summer Story has arrived, featuring a cover that has significantly more blue than the skies over Brambly Hedge! As with Spring Story, the new paperback is a larger format than the equivalent hardback and can be ordered from your local bookshop or online.
We’d like to welcome our first ever Russian language Brambly Hedge books to the family, the first two have been published, with more on the way soon. New Italian, Hungarian, and Slovakian editions have also published over the last few months.
We are delighted to announce that the Brambly Hedge books are relaunching in Japan. Shuppan Works have already published Spring Story, and have just launched Summer Story. Autumn and Winter stories will follow as the seasons arrive. Jill always had a soft spot for Japan, and had very happy memories of her visit to coincide with the first launch of the Japanese books in the late 1980s. The mice had quite a following in Japan, Jill received piles of fan mail and the Hankyu department store featured Brambly Hedge window displays throughout the 1990s. We are very happy to be able to introduce Jill’s work to a whole new generation.
A new greetings card range has been launched with Museums & Galleries. We have been included in their ‘illustrators’ range alongside the Snowman, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and Paddington. Eight cards in total are now available for retailers to stock, or to be purchased individually. Further card ranges will be available in the autumn, so watch this space for more details.
In August Home Farm Glamping in Hertfordshire, England will be hosting a Brambly Hedge themed day which will include a nature walk, book readings under the oak tree, and a picnic. Hopefully the weather will improve by then!
There will be plenty more going on over the summer, so keep an eye on our social media for the latest updates. We’re off to make the most of those elderberries…they won’t be around for long!
We wish you all a wonderful summer.
Pete Barklem
Brambly Hedge Team