I made it up to amuse my children because we were bored and because their father was away filming for very long days at a time.” It was a view she dismissed flatly when chairing her at events across the country I frequently heard her say, in the nicest way possible, “It’s just the story of a tiger who came to tea. Later, it was subjected to much analysis, with many assuming that the tiger stood for the Gestapo, who had so vividly interrupted Judith’s own childhood. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Imagesĭescribed as “a dazzling first book”, which would make children “scream with delicious pleasure at the dangerous naughtiness of the notion” by Antonia Fraser, one of the earliest reviewers, it was initially received as exactly what it was: a simple picture book that generated delight for children. When father comes home he cheers mother and daughter up by taking them out to dinner.Īn annotated page from The Tiger Who Came to Tea. There is no panic the tiger settles down to drink all the water and eat all the food, to Sophie’s delight rather than terror, before exiting politely. Characterised by its bold, naive-style illustrations and gentle anarchy, it tells the playful and imaginative story of how the everyday routine of a mother and her young daughter, Sophie, is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a handsome stripy tiger. The bestselling The Tiger Who Came to Tea (1968) was her first book. She always claimed that she was “a very slow” illustrator and that her work was “more rubbing out than drawing”, but in a career that ran from 1968 to this year she created more than 30 books, mostly about Mog, all of which have remained in print and which sell worldwide. Death is a very difficult subject to discuss with children, but here Judith Kerr handles it with warmth and sensitivity.The creator of the classic children’s books The Tiger Who Came to Tea and Mog the Forgetful Cat, Judith Kerr, who has died aged 95, was unusual in being equally successful as a writer and an illustrator. Mog’s spirit is with them every day and helps them to move forward in their grief. This is a heart-warming story which teaches childen that when you love someone they never truly leave you.
But then Mog discovers that the kitten can see her, and something wonderful happens… Deep down they want Mog back and this little ball of fluff is nothing like her. Soon the Thomas family start to think that perhaps this is the wrong kind of pet for them. It runs away from noise, is scared of newspapers and hates to be picked up. The kitten is tiny, fearful, and nothing like Mog at all. She listens as the children share fond memories of the things they did together.Īnd then one day Mog watches as a new kitten arrives. She watches over the Thomas family as they cry sad tears and lay their pet to rest in their garden. Mog is old now and very tired so one day she decides that the best thing to do would be to sleep forever.
But did you know that in one of the last books written about Mog, she dies? Written to help children work through feelings of grief and loss, Goodbye Mog is a touching story about the death of a much-loved pet. The very first one, Mog the Forgetful Cat, was published in 1970 and since then there have been many stories about this feisty feline and his owners, the Thomas family.
#MOG JUDITH KERR SERIES#
Most people are familiar with the series of books about Mog, written by the wonderful Judith Kerr.
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