A serialised bedtime series
Bramble the Hedgehog
Bramble is a small hedgehog with a large worry: the Dark Hollow. Across ten short chapters — read one a night — he inches closer to walking through it, helped along by Hazel the squirrel, wise Old Oakley, and a little mouse called Pip who thinks Bramble is the bravest creature in the wood. Warm, gently funny, and written in British English for children aged five to eight.
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- 1Watch · listen · read
The Long Way Round
Bramble lived under an old tree stump at the edge of Hollow Wood, where the roots made cosy rooms and the moss grew thick and soft. He kept his acorn cups neatly stacked and his leaf blankets folded just so. Everything i…
- 2Watch · listen · read
The Long Way Round Again
The morning sun was warm on Bramble's nose when Hazel bounded up to his door, her tail flicking with excitement. "Perfect day for hazel nuts," she announced. "Come on, Bramble. If we hurry through the Dark Hollow, we'll…
- 3Watch · listen · read
Three Steps In
Bramble found Old Oakley exactly where he usually was at this time of day — sitting outside his set with his back against a moss-covered oak, eyes half-closed in the morning sun. "Good morning, young Bramble," said Oakle…
- 4Watch · listen · read
The Bravest Hedgehog
Pip appeared the very next morning, bright-eyed and bouncing. "I saw you yesterday," the little mouse squeaked. "You went right into the Dark Hollow. Three whole steps!" Bramble's spines prickled with surprise. He hadn't…
- 5Watch · listen · read
The Glow-Worm Lantern
By dusk the next evening, half the wood had heard Pip's story. Bramble felt eyes on him wherever he went. "Taking the short way today, are we?" called a robin from the elderberry bush. Bramble mumbled something about err…
- 6Watch · listen · read
The Quiet Apology
Bramble woke up cross. He wasn't entirely sure why, but the feeling sat in his chest like a stone. Perhaps it was because he'd dreamed about the Dark Hollow again. Perhaps it was because the sun was too bright. Perhaps i…
- 7Watch · listen · read
The Mossy Stone
Bramble stood at the edge of the Dark Hollow in broad daylight. The sun was up, the birds were singing, and everything looked completely different. "It's not so dark now," said Pip from his perch on a low branch, safely…
- 8Watch · listen · read
The Night Before
That night, Bramble lay in his nest under the old stump and couldn't sleep at all. Tomorrow, he'd told himself. Tomorrow I'll go all the way through. But now tomorrow felt terribly close, and his nest felt terribly comfo…
- 9Watch · listen · read
The Dark Hollow
Bramble stood at the edge of the Dark Hollow with Hazel's acorn tucked safely in his pocket. The shadows waited. He took a breath, and stepped in. One. Two. Three. The numbers helped. Four. Five. Six. His paws knew the p…
- 10Watch · listen · read
The Way Home
Mrs Thistledown adjusted her elderflower bundle and peered at Bramble through the darkness. "Ready when you are, dear," she said cheerfully. Bramble looked at the path that led back into the Hollow. The very same path he…