Yahoo News Judith Kerr, children's author, dies aged 95
The Tiger Who Came To Tea author Judith Kerr has died at the age of 95, her publisher HarperCollins said.
The beloved author, whose Mog books have been read by generations of children, had continued writing and illustrating until to her final months, and had often spoken of how she feared no longer being able to work.
She died at home yesterday following a short illness.
Having escaped the Nazis as a child, she told her life story in the autobiographical novel When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit and spoke thoughtfully in her late years about her experience as a refugee.
The Tiger Who Came To Tea has sold more than five million copies since it was first published in 1968, and it has never been out of print.
A spokesman for her publishers said she "never stopped working", having produced a new book in 2018 and won Illustrator of the Year at the British Book Awards 2019 last week.
Her new book, The Curse of the School Rabbit, is scheduled for publication in June.
In a statement, Ann-Janine Murtagh, executive publisher 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 Murtagh said the author's "incisive wit and dry humour made her both excellent company and a joy to publish. My thoughts at this time are with her children, Matthew and Tacy, and her grandchildren."
Charlie Redmayne, CEO of HarperCollins, said: "Judith Kerr was a wonderful and inspiring person who was much loved by everyone at HarperCollins. 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. 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."
