Judith Kerr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Judith Kerr
|
|
|---|---|
Kerr at the 2016 Berlin International Literature Festival
|
|
| Born | Anna Judith Gertrud Helene Kerr 14 June 1923 Berlin, Germany |
| Died | 22 May 2019 (aged 95) Barnes, London, England |
| Citizenship |
|
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Notable works | The Tiger Who Came to Tea, the Mog series, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit |
| Spouse |
Nigel Kneale
(m. 1954; died 2006) |
| Children | 2, including Matthew Kneale |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Michael Kerr (brother) |
Judith Kerr (born Anna Judith Gertrud Helene Kerr; 14 June 1923 – 22 May 2019) was a famous British writer and illustrator. She was born in Germany, but her family moved to Britain when she was a child. Her books have sold over 10 million copies worldwide!
Judith Kerr created many beloved picture books, like the Mog series and The Tiger Who Came to Tea. She also wrote important novels for older children, such as When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. This book shares a child's view of escaping danger during World War II.
Early Life
Judith Kerr was born in Berlin, Germany, on 14 June 1923. Her father, Alfred Kerr, was a well-known theatre critic. Her mother, Julia Kerr, was a composer. Judith also had a brother named Michael. Both of her parents came from German Jewish families.
In March 1933, when Judith was nine years old, her family heard a serious rumor. The Nazis were gaining power in Germany. They planned to take away passports and arrest people who had spoken out against them, like Judith's father.
So, on the morning of an important election, her family quickly left Germany for Switzerland. They later found out that Nazi officers came to their home the very next morning to arrest them. Soon after they fled, the Nazis even burned Alfred Kerr's books. The family then traveled to France before finally settling in Britain in 1936. Judith Kerr lived in Britain for the rest of her life.
Life in London
During the Second World War, Judith Kerr helped wounded soldiers by working for the Red Cross. After the war, she won a special award called a scholarship. This allowed her to study art at the Central School of Arts and Crafts.
She met her future husband, Nigel Kneale, at the BBC. He was a screenwriter who wrote exciting TV shows. Judith even helped him with special effects for one of his famous science-fiction shows, The Quatermass Experiment. She became a British citizen in 1947.
Judith and Nigel married in 1954 and stayed together until his death in 2006. They had two children: a daughter named Tacy (born 1958) and a son named Matthew (born 1960). Matthew also became a writer and won an award for his novel English Passengers. Tacy is an actress and artist who has worked on special effects for movies like the Harry Potter films.
Judith Kerr lived in the same house in Barnes, London, from 1962 until she passed away in 2019.
Her Famous Books
Judith Kerr is most famous for her wonderful children's books. When she was a child, she dreamed of being a famous writer. However, she only started writing and drawing books when her own children were learning to read.
She created many popular picture books, including the 17-book Mog series and the classic The Tiger Who Came to Tea. The character of Mog the cat was inspired by a real cat that used to sit on Judith's lap while she worked.
Besides picture books, Judith Kerr also wrote novels for older children. Her "Out of the Hitler Time" trilogy tells the story of a child growing up during the rise of the Nazis in Germany and life as a refugee. The first book, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, was inspired by a conversation with her son. He watched a movie and thought he knew what it was like when his mother was a child. Judith wanted him to understand what it was really like. The story is based on her own experience of fleeing Germany. She regretted choosing a stuffed dog toy instead of her favorite pink rabbit toy when they had to leave.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit won an award in Germany in 1974. A movie based on the book was released in Germany in 2019.
After her husband passed away, writing became even more important to Judith. She continued to write and illustrate new children's books, like Twinkles, Arthur and Puss (2008) and One Night in the Zoo (2009). Her last book, The Curse of the School Rabbit, was published after her death in 2019.
In 2012, Judith Kerr received a special honor called the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award recognized her amazing contributions to children's literature and her work in teaching about the Holocaust.
Legacy
Judith Kerr passed away at her home on 22 May 2019, at the age of 95.
In 2013, a special school in London was named after her: the Judith Kerr Primary School. It was Britain's first public school to teach in both English and German.
Just a week before she died, she was nominated for "illustrator of the year" at the British Book Awards. You can find many of her original illustrations at the Seven Stories centre in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Selected works
- The Tiger Who Came to Tea (HarperCollins, 1968).
- The Mog series, including:
- Mog the Forgetful Cat (1970)
- Goodbye, Mog (2002)
- Mog's Christmas Calamity (2015)
- The "Out of the Hitler Time" trilogy:
- When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (1971)
- Bombs on Aunt Dainty (originally published as The Other Way Round) (1975)
- A Small Person Far Away (1978)
See also
In Spanish: Judith Kerr para niños
