Beechwood Bunny Tales is a series of children's books written by French authorGeneviève Huriet and illustrated by Loïc Jouannigot. The original books have been published in France by Éditions Milan since 1987. English translations of the first seven stories were released in the United States during 1991 and 1992 by Gareth Stevens Publishers. Including this version, Beechwood has been translated into 23 languages in 19 countries, and has sold about 750,000 copies in its native country. The books centre on the Bellflower family of rabbits, who live in Beechwood Grove: Papa Bramble, Aunt Zinnia, Dandelion, Periwinkle, Violette, Mistletoe, and Poppy. Papa and Aunt share their names with foods, while their five children are named after flowers. All of the rabbit characters in this series have large, round pink tails. The books' success in France led to the debut of an animated version on the TF1 network in late December 2001, which would go on to have 52 episodes produced. The show has aired in several markets worldwide, and released on DVD and VHS in North America.
Characters
The series' main characters are the Bellflower rabbits, who live "in a shady corner of Beechwood Grove". There are five children in the family: Poppy, the biggest and the smartest; Violette, the only sister; Dandelion, who mostly resembles his father; Mistletoe, who wears a shirt of red and pink stripes; and Periwinkle, who is mostly shy. Their father is Bramble, a gardener who is always concerned and caring about his children. Their aunt, Zinnia, can sometimes be a bit angry and serious against them. Most of the early titles in the Beechwood series centred on each of the children. Aunt Zinnia had a story of her own in 1990, and Papa Bramble in 2003. Some of the Bellflowers' foes include Magda, a tricky magpie who tries to make Periwinkle a family embarrassment ; Jimmy Renard, a cunning young boy from Violette's Daring Adventure; Kazoar, the highway menace from Aunt Zinnia and the Ogre, and two hungry & sneaky foxes named Roderick and Marmaduke from the episode "Carnival" who wanted to kidnap the children for their dinner.
Books
As of, more than thirty Beechwood books from Éditions Milan have sold over 750,000 copies in its native France. Geneviève Huriet has written the entire series, save for the two most recent titles by Amélie Sarn. Loïc Jouannigot has always been the illustrator. In the United States, Gareth Stevens only published the first seven stories in English, from Periwinkle at the Full Moon Ball to Family Moving Day, in 1991 and 1992. The translators were MaryLee Knowlton, Amy Bauman and Patricia Lantier-Sampon. Elsewhere in Europe, the book series is called La Familia Pasaflor, A Família Passiflore, La Famiglia Passiflora, De Familie Passiebloem, Familie Löwenzahn, Wesołe przygody królików, "Жили-были кролики" and Tappancsmesék.
