The Shirley Hughes Collection

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Summary

Shirley Hughes is one of the best known and most popular creators of children's books, and her keen observation of family life have earned her a special place in the hearts of children and adults. This unique collection brings together some of her very best work and celebrates her amazing achievements over the years. There's a wealth of treasure for children of all ages to enjoy, beginning with a selection of simple rhymes and stories and moving on to some of Shirley's classic picture books featuring such well-loved favourites as Dogger, Alfie and Annie Rose. Enjoy stories from My Naughty Little Sister as well as a wealth of other characters. There's also a selection of stories for older readers including The Lion and the Unicorn and Enchantment in the Garden, which combine satisfyingly longer texts with marvellously expansive pictures. Shirley Hughes' warmth and versatility shine from every page of this stunning collection which will captivate readers of all ages and take pride of place on the family bookshelf.

Reviews

An author who needs no introduction, but what a joy to find so much of her work brought together in one superlative book. This really is a celebration of a remarkable author/illustrator and it's a book to cherish. The book is in four sections, according to age, so there are many many years of sheer joy to be had, from Mudlarks, on to Dogger, then Sea Singing and Enchantment in the Garden. Shirley Hughes' portrayal of family life and of children is timeless and has brought pleasure to so many, so this is a fitting celebration. The book illustrates the extraordinary versatility of this author who manages to create marvellous stories which enthrall all ages. The book is beautifully produced, with all the original illustrations and deserves pride of place in every child's library, and many adults will have fond memories of many of the stories and will delight in sharing them with their own children.
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About the author

Shirley Hughes

Shirley Hughes illustrated more than 200 children's books and is one of the best-loved writers for children, known for her beloved classics including the Alfie and Annie Rose stories, and Dogger.

Shirley Hughes was born in West Kirby, near Liverpool, in 1927, and studied fashion and dress design at Liverpool Art School, before continuing her studies at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford. She started her career as a freelance illustrator in London, illustrating other writers' work, including Noel Streatfeild, Alison Uttley, Ian Seraillier and notably Dorothy Edwards's My Naughty Little Sister series.

Shirley began to write and draw her own picture books when her children were young. Her first book - Lucy and Tom's Day - was published in 1960, and she followed it with, among others, Dogger, and the Alfie series. Her books include the wordless picture book Up and Up, collection of rhymes and poems Out and About, and for the very young The Nursery Collection.

She wrote two novels for older children, Hero on a Bicycle, about a 13-year-old Italian boy during the occupation of Florence, and Whistling in the Dark, set during the Liverpool Blitz. Her memoir, A Life Drawing, was published in 2002.

She also collaborated with her daughter, Clara Vulliamy, on the Dixie O'Day series; which saw Shirley with an illustrator for the first time with Shirley writing the text and Clara creating the illustrations.

In 2020 she returned to her much-loved character, Dogger, with a new story Dogger's Christmas.

Shirley Hughes has won the Other Award, the Eleanor Farjeon Award, and the Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration twice, for Dogger in 1977 and for Ella's Big Chance in 2003. In 2007 Dogger was voted the public's favourite Greenaway winner of all time. She was Highly Commended for the Greenaway Medal for The Lion and the Unicorn in 1998. Shirley received an OBE in 1999 for services to Children's Literature, and a CBE in 2017. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was the first recipient of BookTrust's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Shirley died in London in 2022.

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