Shirley Hughes

One of the defining British children’s author-illustrators since the war, Shirley Hughes was responsible for some of the most beloved picture books ever created. Hughes began her career illustrating other authors’ work, most notably the My Naughty Little Sister series written by Dorothy Edwards. Her naturalistic sketches teemed with life and energy and, when she started writing her own accompanying text the results were simply magical. Her first entirely solo project was Lucy and Tom’s Day in 1960, which spawned numerous books centred on the adventures of the lovable duo. It is Alfie who has become Hughes’ most enduring creation, however, starring in over ten books of heart-warming yet cheeky fun. In 1977 her seminal picture book Dogger scooped the Kate Greenaway medal for illustration, a feat Hughes repeated in 2003 with Ella’s Big Chance, a retelling of Cinderella. Hughes also wrote chapter books for younger readers and novels set during World War II for those a little older.

Hughes continued working into her tenth decade, penning a festive sequel to Dogger in 2020 and Round and Round the Garden – a collection of her favourite nursery rhymes from her youth – the following year. By the end of her career she had written and illustrated over sixty books. Shirley Hughes passed away at the age of 94 in March 2022, leaving an unimpeachable legacy of excellence in children’s literature. Former children’s laureate Michael Rosen paid tribute to her unique skills: ‘At the core of Shirley’s work is a child’s feeling, a child’s emotions. She spent her whole life taking this as seriously as many take adult feelings and emotions. This is part of what made her so special and so important.’