I recently found all my old Brambly Hedge books and decided to re-read them. I am happy to report that the stores are just as good and the illustrations are just as gorgeous as I remembered them being. I think these are stories young and old alike can enjoy and the beautiful pictures will definitely be of interest to all ages. ( )

Poppy and Dusty have had three little babies, whom they adore, but living in the flour mill has become too big a challenge. Dusty and the residents of Brambly Hedge decide to surprise Poppy by fixing up an abandoned house. This is a sweet way to end the series. I'm glad I embarked on this nostalgic read-through. ( )

Poppy and Dusty - the murine couple whose romance and marriage are chronicled in an earlier installment of the Brambly Hedge series, Summer Story - are the proud parents of three young mice in Poppy's Babies, but all is not blissful content with them. Living at the top of Dusty's mill - ninety-two stairs from the ground! - where it is always noisy and dirty, Poppy is at her wit's end. Then, inspired by one of Mr. Apple's ideas, the hedgerow mice all pitch in to solve the problem, presenting the young family with a newly refurbished Mayblossom Cottage on the day of the Naming Ceremony for the young ones...

A sweet story and delightful illustrations combine to make this eighth and final installment of the Brambly Hedge series as charming as its predecessors. I only wish that human societies were as caring as this idealized community of mice! Young readers who enjoy animal fantasy will take to these books, which, with their emphasis on feasting and adventures, seem like they could have been an influence on Brian Jacques' Redwall series, as will anyone who enjoyed the previous seven titles. This heartwarming story is a lovely conclusion to a lovely collection of books! ( )

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