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Children’s author Shirley Hughes

(25 Posts)
GrannySomerset Wed 02-Mar-22 09:06:43

Just heard of the death of writer and illustrator Shirley Hughes, much loved in their childhood by my fifty-something AC and by their children. Feels like an important constituent of our family life has gone. Anyone else as great a fan of Lucy and Tom, Alfie and Dogger?

TerriBull Wed 02-Mar-22 09:16:20

You beat me to it GrannySomerset.

Wonderful memories of reading the Alfie and Annie Rose and Lucy and Tom books to my children when were very little and Dogger came along later when they could read that to themselves. The books came alive with her illustrations, her characters became very real.

A marvellous children's author and illustrator.

RIP Shirley Hughes.

FannyCornforth Wed 02-Mar-22 09:18:28

Beautiful illustrations of childhood and intimate family life.
Very of their time but also universal.

Grandmabatty Wed 02-Mar-22 09:23:10

She lived a long, good life and brought so much pleasure to children and adults. My favourite was always Lucy and Tom's Christmas. RIP Shirley.

Grandma70s Wed 02-Mar-22 09:25:28

My children loved Lucy and Tom’s Day.

GagaJo Wed 02-Mar-22 09:28:41

Ahhhh, I loved her stories with my daughter and now read them to my DGS. So simple and yet full of detail about childhood.

TillyTrotter Wed 02-Mar-22 09:30:01

Yes - Shirley Hughes’ stories were much adored in this house.
I still have the girls’ book “Lucy and Tom’s Christmas”. We loved snuggling up after bath time around Christmastime, me reading it and the girls wanting to linger over the beautiful illustrations.
RIP Shirley .

PinkCosmos Wed 02-Mar-22 09:31:11

I love Shirley Hughes. We had all the Alfie and Annie Rose, Dogger, Lucy and Tom books when my children were little in the 80's.

I saved quite a few of them for my future grandchildren.

I now have a DGS who is two next week. He is a bit young for the books at the moment but I am itching to read them to him when he gets a bit older.

Maggiemaybe Wed 02-Mar-22 09:32:23

Oh, I absolutely love all her books, and so do/did all the AC and the grandsons! They’re all so warm and comforting, a real delight to read. Alfie Gets In First has always been the out and out favourite here. We’ll be looking after our littlest DGC tomorrow and he’ll be slamming that door with Alfie, as have so many others before him. RIP.

TerriBull Wed 02-Mar-22 09:35:00

Grandmabatty

She lived a long, good life and brought so much pleasure to children and adults. My favourite was always Lucy and Tom's Christmas. RIP Shirley.

I loved that one too, thought she tapped very well into how very young children became overwrought as Christmas Day unfolded, from getting up at the crack of dawn to rummage around presents and then becoming increasingly overwhelmed and overtired as the day wears on. That would be my go to run up to Christmas story time book in early years.

Greenfinch Wed 02-Mar-22 09:46:49

Dogger was a favourite with my daughter and granddaughter.DD was given it by a friend of mine on her fifth birthday and we were hooked.

trisher Wed 02-Mar-22 09:50:13

So many lovely stories. So many children have grown up with them. The illustrations were so typical of children and families. A brilliant and talented woman. RIP Shirley.

eazybee Wed 02-Mar-22 09:50:37

Oh yes, I loved her books and the illustrations were so realistic and full of detail; always something new to spot.

TerriBull Wed 02-Mar-22 09:55:26

Mine were very inspired by Alfie "splish! splash! splosh!" in his brand new, I think yellow wellies, a lot of that was done in the early years. How little ones love puddles smile

Those were the days, It seems to last forever going through the early years with interminable bunged up noses and earaches, in retrospect gone in a nano second, brief childhood interlude and then what seems an eternity of mono syllabic grunts before a semblance of a human being emerges.

Make the most of your Alfie days as grandparents everyone, even better one step back imo!

lixy Wed 02-Mar-22 09:57:08

Another Shirley Hughes fan here.
Both my now adult children could recite Dogger before they could read it for themselves. and GC could too.
I'm looking forward to sharing her books with the newest family member.
RIP Shirley.

Luckygirl3 Wed 02-Mar-22 09:59:47

Yes - very much a part of my children's upbringing - they loved her books - and so did I. A life well lived.

Baggs Wed 02-Mar-22 10:04:38

I loved her drawings (and the stories). Always felt she drew rooms that were filled with love and family living. I aspired to make my kids' home like those.

Nana3 Wed 02-Mar-22 10:20:54

I went to see her at our town library, she demonstrated her painting as well as talking about her books, she was wonderful. RIP Shirley.

Sarnia Wed 02-Mar-22 10:47:06

I am very sad to hear this. Her Alfie and Annie Rose books were lovely with beautifully detailed illustrations drawn by her. RIP Shirley Hughes.

winterwhite Wed 02-Mar-22 11:10:31

Another one here. We got through at least 3 copies of Lucy and Tom's day and it remained the firm favourite.

Chardy Wed 02-Mar-22 11:46:29

Granddaughter went to bed listening to Alfie Gets in First and Other Stories on Audible every night for months last year. Her dad loved Shirley Hughes too.

SueDonim Wed 02-Mar-22 13:14:23

That’s sad news. We love Shirley Hughes, too. I think my favourites are her rhyming baby books - ‘blue shoes, new shoes’ and so on.

Maggiemaybe Wed 02-Mar-22 22:35:00

Bathwater’s hot, seawater’s cold, Ginger’s kittens are very young but Buster’s getting old…..or Nanna’s getting old, as my lot have it. smile The Nursery Collection’s a delight.

Zoejory Wed 02-Mar-22 22:38:41

Simply fabulous books. My AC had all she wrote and I loved to read them at bedtime. The illustrations are a delight as well.

I gave my 5 year old granddaughter a set for Christmas.

They will no doubt be read by many generations to come.

So thank you Shirley Hughes. You gave us such happy times.

Nannagarra Wed 02-Mar-22 22:52:42

Another fan of Shirley Hughes’ wonderful, delightfully illustrated books, some of which I have kept for my DGC. She was the daughter of T. J. Hughes, the owner of a department store in Liverpool.