My Henry

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.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.

“My Henry is as charming as her other works… For all the depth of underlying emotion, there's a celebratory feel to it, an unfeigned lightness of spirit that, throughout her life, has been a great boon.” Cassandra Jardine, The Telegraph“It bears all her trademarks, lively illustration, a cheerful blend of the everyday and the fantastic… A deeply poignant yet ultimately uplifting tale…” Giulia Rhode, Sunday Express"In this moving picture book, [Judith Kerr] explores in charming verse the magical and wondrous adventures a widow imagines for herself and her recently deceased husband." The LadyPraise for ‘One Night in the Zoo’:“Lovely… uses soothing, pastel illustrations and exotic animals to make basic counting seem unintimidating.” Daily Telegraph" A magical rhyming tale" The TimesPraise for ‘Twinkles, Arthur and Puss’:“A very engaging take on feline behaviour” The BooksellerPraise for ‘The Tiger Who Came To Tea’:“Near perfection of form is embellished by clear, expressive illustrations. The pace is exactly right, the resolution totally satisfying.” Dorothy Butler, Babies Need Books.“A modern classic.” The Independent.“This book has enduring charm and young children will delight in the preposterous notion of a tiger creating mayhem in the house.” Junior MagazinePraise for ‘Mog the Forgetful Cat’:“Grandparents are likely to get as much fun out of seeing it again as the new generation of fans just learning to read!” Choice MagazinePraise for ‘Goodbye Mog’:“Kerr’s warmth, humour and honesty make this an engaging introduction to a difficult topic.” Financial Times“Believable, amusing and moving.” Nursery World“A supremely sensitive story.” The Times