Judith Kerrs Creatures: A Celebration of the Life and Work of Judith Kerr

(Hardback)

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A lavishly illustrated retrospective in celebration of 100 years since Judith Kerrs birth, author of The Tiger Who Came to Tea and many other iconic books.
Judith Kerr was one of the best-loved authors and illustrators to ever put pencil to paper. The books she created, including The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Mog the Forgetful Cat, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit and many many more, have become classics of childrens literature, loved by generations of readers.

But what of the life behind the iconic characters Judiths own story is riveting, from her early childhood in Berlin, dramatically cut short by the family having to flee the rising Nazi Party, to her time at the BBC in the 1950s and her long and happy marriage to the celebrated screenwriter Nigel Kneale, creator of British televisions first major hit, The Quatermass Experiment.

The joy of this very special book is in hearing this story from Judith herself, accompanied by a treasure trove of illustrations and memorabilia. All combine to give an unforgettable insight into the creative process behind these beloved stories.

This book was published in 2013, but Judith continued to work up until her death in 2019. While she may have gone, her creatures live on. They are much-loved characters who spring to life from the pages of her books, but they are also those who have played a part in her inspirational life. They are to be found here, in a book to cherish and return to again and again.

Reviews

captures the colourful innocence of the 1950s and 1960s, with its harlequin tights, squat stoves and fathers in hatsKerrs world is one in which the small and lost come to be treasured. The Times

176 large, beautiful pages of nostalgia for anyone who has been a child in the past half century. The Independent

Author Bio

Judith Kerr OBE was born in Berlin. Her family left Germany in 1933 to escape the rising Nazi party, and came to England. She studied at the Central School of Art and later worked as a scriptwriter for the BBC. Judith married the celebrated screenwriter Nigel Kneale in 1954. She left the BBC to look after their two children, who inspired her first picture book, The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Published in 1968 and never out of print in the fifty years since, it has become a much-loved classic and perennial bestseller. Her second book was Mog the Forgetful Cat, which was published in 1970 and has also gone on to become a beloved classic, with Mog appearing in a further 17 adventures in the years since. Judith was awarded the Booktrust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, and in 2019 was named Illustrator of the Year at the British Book Awards. Judith died in May 2019 at the age of 95, and her stories continue to entertain and delight generations of children.