From the beloved illustrator and author of A Nest for Celeste comes Brambleheart, a beautiful tale about nature, imagination, and how love is the greatest thing we build. With stunning black-and-white artwork and a gorgeous package, Henry Cole’s animal fantasy adventure harkens back to Brian Jacques’s Redwall and Avi’s Poppy series.
In the Hill, animals work as Weavers, Smelters, and Carvers—but Twig doesn’t know who he wants to be. He tries very hard in all his classes, but his imagination wanders to his favorite books or the delicious mayapples growing beyond the scavenge yard . . . and then he loses his focus.
After Twig makes a big mistake in front of everyone, he sets out on a secret journey to discover himself. But as he wanders deeper into the Yard than he’s ever wandered before, Twig finds a curious colored globe. A dragon’s egg—which hatches in front of his eyes.
Now protecting the baby dragon is all Twig wants to do. But when he learns that his secret might hurt others, he’s forced to make a choice between his place in the world and the feelings in his heart.
Twig looked around. Just then an amber shaft of afternoon sunlight poked through the clouds and slanted its way across the river, illuminating the jewel-like blossoms and fern fronds on the riverbank. The whole world seemed bathed in gold. The sun slanted down some more, and Twig blinked.
Something caught his eye. Twig sat up, looking more closely. It glinted in the mud and sand where water had eroded the riverbank.
It was perfect. It seemed to glow, smooth and flawless. He knew that no one in the Hill, no one, had ever seen the likes of it.
Twig has always wondered who he will become. In the Hill, everyone studies a craft and becomes a Master’s apprentice, but first you have to be good at something.
Twig tries very hard in all his classes, but his imagination wanders to his favorite books or the delicious mayapples growing beyond the scavenge yard . . . and then he loses his focus.
Unsure he’ll ever amount to anything, Twig sets out on a journey to discover himself. However, instead of finding answers, he stumbles upon a strangely colored globe that contains a curious secret.
Protecting it is all Twig wants to do. But when he learns that his secret might hurt others, he’s forced to make a choice between his place in the world and the feelings in his heart.
The first in a duology, Brambleheart is beloved illustrator and author Henry Cole’s beautiful story about nature, imagination, and how love is the greatest thing we build.
“Twig is what all heroes—large and small—should be: charming, courageous, and kind. Delightful!”—Lisa Fiedler Author of the Mouseheart trilogy and the Stagestruck series
"The softly shaded pencil drawings bring the story to life through Cole's exceptional ability to imbue animals with personality."
