Renowned children’s writer Judith Kerr has died at the age of 95.
The author and illustrator wrote a number of famous titles including Mog the Forgetful Cat, The Tiger who Came to Tea and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit.
In a statement publisher Harper Collins said she died at home yesterday after a short illness.
Mog the cat starred in 15 of Ms Kerr’s titles, while her first book, The Tiger who Came to Tea sold five million copies and has never been out of print.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit was an autobiographical retelling of her family’s escape from Germany in the 1930s.
She was born in Berlin in 1923 but her family fled the country in 1933 to escape the rise of Nazis in Germany.
Judith Kerr. Image: HarperCollins"Zest for life"
Ann-Janine Murtagh, Executive Publisher at HarperCollins Children’s Books said: “It has been the greatest honour and privilege to know and publish Judith Kerr for over a decade, though of course her history with HarperCollins goes back over fifty years.”
“She came to visit our offices frequently – always bringing her books in person; often arriving on the number 9 bus and leaving us all full of laughter and in awe of her astonishing zest for life and absolute commitment to delivering the very best books for children.”
Ms Kerr never stopped writing and her new book, The Curse of the School Rabbit, is due to be published next month.
"Delighted generations"
“She embraced life as one great big adventure and lived every day to the full,” said Ms Murtagh.
“She was absolutely thrilled when I gave her the news that she had been named Illustrator of the Year earlier this month.
“Her characters and books have delighted generations of children and provided some of the first and fondest reading memories of childhood.”
Judith Kerr and Benedict Cumberbatch during a reading of the Tiger who Came to Tea at the Storystock Festival in London, 13-02-2018. Image: Gareth Fuller/PA Archive/PA Images"Brilliantly talented"
HarperCollins CEO Charlie Redmayne said she was a “brilliantly talented artist and storyteller who has left us an extraordinary body of work.”
“Always understated and very, very funny, Judith loved life and loved people - and particularly she loved a party,” he said.
“Beautifully dressed and with a smile on her face she would light up the room and would always be one of the last to leave.
“Time spent in her company was one of life’s great privileges and I am so grateful to have known her.”
She is survived by her children, Matthew and Tacy, and her grandchildren.
