JUDITH KERR'S CREATURES

A stunning pictorial biography of the classic bestselling children's author Judith Kerr OBE, creator of The Tiger Who Came to Tea, this is the perfect illustrated gift book for ages 11 to adult. It is a lavishly illustrated retrospective of one of the greatest illustrators ever to put pencil to paper, in celebration of 100 years since Judith Kerr's birth. She created not only The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Mog the Forgetful Cat, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit and many more, all of which have become classics of children's literature, loved by generations of readers, but what of the life behind the iconic characters? Capturing the colourful innocence of the 1950s and 1960s with its harlequin tights, squat stoves and fathers in hats, Kerr's world is one in which the small and lost come to be treasured. Born in Berlin, Judith Kerr's family left Germany in 1933 to escape the rising Nazi Party. She studied at the Central School of Art and later worked as a scriptwriter for the BBC. The Tiger Who Came to Tea was first published in 1968 and has never been out of print since. 'My father's writings were publicly burned and he was deprived of his German nationality. A few months later the Nazis offered a reward to anyone who captured him dead or alive.' He had been co-editor of a newspaper similar to the Times in Berlin. There are very early drawings of Dutch people dancing, angels, children and market stalls from the family's travels around Paris and Nice helped by a charitable refugee organisation which would eventually lend them enough money to go to England. London and the war, Tom and the BBC, children and books and scripts and a lot about cats, there are drawings and colour illustrations galore in these huge glossy pages, an absolute delight while Judith and the people who played a part in her inspirational life are cherished. Artworks, personal photos and memorabilia, a gift book for every generation to treasure and share. 176pp, 22.6 x 28.6cm.