For this children's author, pet hedgehog says it all

NORWELL -- When author and illustrator Jan Brett needs inspiration for one of the delightful animal characters populating her award-winning children's books, she need look no further than her own backyard. Four ducks, two roosters, and 11 hens (including six exotic Chinese Silkies) share a split-level henhouse, complete with heated pool and classical music. Brett's menagerie also includes an adorable African pygmy hedgehog, her totem animal. It appears in every book the 54-year-old New York Times best-selling author writes, often tucked discreetly on a border as a little visual game for her most discerning young readers.

Over the past two decades, Brett has become one of the most beloved of children's authors. With over 25 million books in print, she has 30 titles to her credit, many based on folk tales from around the world. Her most recent release, "On Noah's Ark," tells the biblical story from the viewpoint of Noah's young granddaughter.

An alumnus of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Brett's artwork is distinguished by lush representational watercolors of elaborate detail and charming whimsy. A stickler for authenticity, she and her husband, Boston Symphony Orchestra double bassist Joseph Hearne, travel extensively, researching the costumes, architecture, and traditions of the faraway places her books evoke.

The youthful, outgoing author is also a bit of a perfectionist. "I get bored easily," she confesses. "I'm always filling in little details. I don't feel like I'm finished until I can walk into the page."

That attention to detail is reflected into Brett's and Hearne's Norwell home.

Though the multi-level house appears modestly unassuming from the outside, the front door is a tip-off to the rich artistic life within. Overlaid with fanciful characters in wrought iron, it duplicates an illustration from Brett's "Annie and the Wild Animals."

Inside, the 26-year-old house is pristine and bright. The Norwegian-inspired design features natural wood floors, windows, and exposed beams. Natural light streams from large windows, bringing the outdoors in, reflecting the couple's deep love of nature. The spacious living room is furnished with a tasteful blend of antiques and contemporary pieces, including intricate needlepoint cushions Brett based on original artwork or the Majolica plates she collects.

Upstairs, a loft library showcases more than 200 hedgehog toys and figurines Brett has been given by her fans. A detailed, handmade troll doll looks exactly like one of the characters in Brett's Scandinavian tales, and a handknit hat duplicates the one in "The Hat." The adjacent Nantucket-style lookout tower, curved gracefully outward like a ship's bow, offers views of the front and back of the house. "This is where we come to watch storms," Brett says,

Work and pleasure co-mingle fluidly. Brett's studio flows seamlessly into Hearne's office. He manages her business, aided by two part-time secretaries who help reply to the more than 30,000 letters and e-mails Brett receives each year. Brett writes the basic text of all replies and writes a monthly "Hedge a Gram" on her popular website, www.janbrett.com, which has had almost 22 million visitors since it started seven years ago. "I try to give children a realistic view of what it's like to be an illustrator," she explains.

Brett grew up in nearby Hingham in a house with a big barn and lots of animals, including a chicken that rode on the handlebars of her bicycle. "I was really shy as a child, and whenever I talked, it came out wrong. But I could put my emotions in my drawings."

Brett's vivid artwork adorns every room of the house. The master bedroom is filled with paintings Brett has created for her husband every birthday. Each captures the most memorable event of the year, with humans humorously portrayed as various animals. There are also artifacts from their extensive travels and lots of family photos. Between them, the two have three grown children from previous marriages, as well as two grandchildren.

It seems a remarkably integrated life. When the two are not working, bird-watching, feeding their brood of fowl, or off on a midday run, they're often researching interests on the Internet or talking in front of the fire.

"Our jobs and our lives blend into each other," Brett maintains. "When I'm not working, I go to BSO concerts. When Joe's not at the BSO, he's right here in this office chair. Our lives dovetail in so many ways."

One thing you won't find in the Brett/Hearne household is a television. "It's just not part of our lives," Brett explains.

Brett's current project is a new book entitled "The Umbrella," for which she and Hearne travelled to Costa Rica. Next up is another trip to Botswana, where she researched "Noah."

Brett is committed to writing one book a year, and though she gets a little panicky when deadlines loom, she's always eager for the next project. "It goes on and on," she says. "But it's like heaven. I just can't wait to get up in the morning."