Judith Kerr, author and illustrator of the bestselling "The Tiger Who Came to Tea" and other beloved children's books, has died at the age of 95.
HarperCollins chief executive Charlie Redmayne announced her death Thursday. The publisher said she died at her home on Wednesday after a brief illness.
Kerr "was a brilliantly talented artist and storyteller who has left us an extraordinary body of work," he said.
FILE - In this May 23, 2003 file photo British writer Judith Kerr sits in her working room in London, England. Judith Kerr, author and illustrator of the bestselling "The Tiger Who Came to Tea" and other beloved children's books, has died at the age of 95. ( Daniel Sambrausdpa via AP)
The beguiling story of the tea-drinking tiger has been shared by parents with young children since it was first published in 1968 and has never been out of print. It has sold more than 5 million copies.
The book, with its memorable illustrations and simple surprises, conveys a sense of wonder and possibility that generations of children embraced.
Her next book introduced Mog the cat, who starred in some 15 books and developed a large following until "Goodbye Mog" was published in 2002.
FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2016 file photo British writer Judith Kerr holds a rose in Berlin, Germany. Judith Kerr, author and illustrator of the bestselling "The Tiger Who Came to Tea" and other beloved children's books, has died at the age of 95. ( Soeren Stachedpa via AP)
The popular feline was brought back in 2015 for "Mog's Christmas Calamity," which raised more than 1 million pounds for a literacy campaign with charity Save the Children.
Her third book, "When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit", was an autobiographical story based on her family's escape from Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
Peter Florence, the director of Britain's Hay Festival, a literary event where Kerr made many appearances, said the author "had grace, born of wisdom, generosity of spirit and the resilience of a woman who had been a refugee from the extremes of 20th century history."
He said she has "brought millions of people to books" by bringing the Tiger and Mog to life.
"When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is one of the great books of our times. I am so glad to have heard her in Hay so often. We've been blessed. And we have her with us forever in print."
Kerr was born in Berlin but left Germany with her family in 1933 to escape Nazi tyranny. The family settled in England, where she studied art and worked as a scriptwriter at BBC.
She kept writing throughout her life. Her next book, "The Curse of the School Rabbit," is set for publication in June.
She is survived by her children Matthew and Tacy and her grandchildren.
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed satisfaction on Monday after a series of candidates supported by his party won weekend races for mayor.
Candidates from his pro-European Union centrist Civic Coalition, or running with the party's backing, won in a series of cities in the second round of local elections held on Sunday, among them Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw and Rzeszow.
“It is very difficult to clearly say who won and who lost,” Tusk said Monday. “But if we compare these results, especially in the most attractive places, on these attractive battlefields ... then I actually have reasons for satisfaction.”
“Law and Justice has simply disappeared in many places,” Tusk added at a news conference, referring to the main opposition party.
The results put Civic Coalition in a favorable position as the country looks next to elections to the European Parliament on June 9.
Mayors were chosen in a total of 748 cities and towns where no single candidate won at least 50% of the vote during the first round on April 7.
Candidates for Tusk’s party also recaptured cities where they had not held power for many years, including Zielona Gora, Legnica and Torun.
The local and regional elections were viewed as a test for Tusk's pro-European Union government four months after it took power at the national level. Sunday's second round strengthened the Tusk government's leverage in the cities, which should facilitate cooperation on development projects and allotment of EU funds.
Tusk's allies also won in some places in the first round two weeks ago, including in Warsaw, where incumbent Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski was an easy victor.
In the first round, the right-wing Law and Justice, prevailed on the level of regional assemblies in the country's 16 provinces, where it took 34.3% of the votes, while Tusk's Civic Coalition got 30.6%. Law and Justice governed on the national level from 2015-23.
Tusk’s socially liberal Civic Coalition traditionally has strong support in cities, while Law and Justice has a more solid base in conservative rural areas, particularly in eastern Poland.
Civic Coalition is the largest group in a three-party coalition that governs the EU nation of 38 million people. The coalition is pro-European Union but otherwise spans a wide ideological spectrum with left-wing politicians in the Left party as well as conservatives in the Third Way.
Polish voters take part in a local runoff election in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Campaign posters promote candidates as Poles vote in local and regional elections in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish voters take part in a local runoff election in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish voters take part in a local runoff election in Lomianki, near Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Voters are choosing mayors who did not win outright in the first round of the election two weeks earlier. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
FILE - Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk reacts during his and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting with students in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk is celebrating a victory on Monday April 22, 2024 after a series of candidates supported by his party won weekend races for mayor. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
FILE - Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk listens to the media in Berlin, Germany, Friday, March 15, 2024. Tusk is celebrating a victory on Monday April 22, 2024 after a series of candidates supported by his party won weekend races for mayor. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
