The Big Alfie And Annie Rose Storybook

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Beloved children’s author and illustrator Shirley Hughes has passed away at the age of 94. Her family have confirmed that she died on Friday 25 February. In her lifetime, Hughes wrote and illustrated over 50 books for children, with her most popular being the Alfie series, and Dogger . Her books at bedsides all around the country for the past 50 years are a testament to how well loved they have been by so many. Another standout favourite from my childhood is one of the Alfie and Annie Rose stories: Bonting . Similar to Dogger , Bonting is a special stone that Alfie finds in his garden. Mum makes him a little swimming costume and Bonting joins the family for a trip to the seaside. However, at the end of the day, Alfie realises that Bonting is nowhere to be found. Alfie and Annie Rose are arguably the most recognisable of Hughes’ characters. 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.

Shirley was born in West Kirby, near Liverpool, 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 then embarked on a career as a freelance illustrator in London, where she still lives today. She illustrated other writers' work, including Noel Streatfeild, Alison Uttley, Ian Seraillier, Margaret Mahy and notably Dorothy Edwards's My Naughty Little Sister series. 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. 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. Part of what makes Hughes’ stories so wonderful are the vivid illustrations that accompany her narratives. Before she began writing stories of her own, Hughes started out as an illustrator, working with other children’s authors such as Noel Streatfield and Dorothy Edwards for the My Naughty Little Sister series, another popular set of stories in my childhood. Throughout her career, she illustrated over 200 books. Hughes illustrations are captivating and iconic, instantly recognisable to those who know her work.

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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. Hughes captures the beauty in our quotidien lives as children through her colourful, detailed drawings 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. 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 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.

We all know and love Alfie right? I do. He's an iconic character, created by the equally iconic Shirley Hughes, and this is one of my favourite titles starring him and his younger sister Annie Rose. Dad is, a mite irritatingly, always sitting reading his paper. But, it's a minor gripe. Mostly, everyone looks happy - cheerfully resigned to the mess of early childhood. I realised just how discernable Hughes’ work is whilst writing this after I looked up another family favourite, A Throne for Sesame , which I believed to have been written by Hughes thanks to her iconic illustrations. The book was actually written by Helen Young. Hughes was featured on the BBC show “Read All About It” in 1978 , just after Dogger was published. In her interview, she discusses how all her stories begin with the illustrations. She says she “thinks visually,” and the words come afterwards “like the captions of a silent movie.” Even for those who cannot read, the brilliance of Hughes’ illustrations provide all the information a child may need to understand a rough storyline.But, before I talk about this, I need to segue slightly. The other day I was discussing comic books with somebody and how they were being disparaged by parents who did not approve of their children who read these books. My point there, and one which applies here as well, was that the visual literacy needed to read and appreciate comics is massive - and it all contributes towards becoming literate. It is just another, and a deceptively complicated, route towards literacy. Words and pictures merge seamlessly in these simply devised books. Shirley Hughes, now 78, wrote and illustrated her first Alfie book in 1981. Twenty years on, Alfie and Annie Rose are still respectively four and one-and-a-half years old but show no sign at all of dating. As a child, Hughes’ books were a part of my nighttime reading from as early as I can remember. Dogger was a particular favourite in our household, with myself and my siblings able to relate to the attachment to a much loved soft toy, and understanding Dave’s feelings when Dogger goes missing. The book’s success has been global , with it proving popular despite it being very “English” as far the story and the setting go (a large portion of the book is spent at a jumble sale). But, the universality of losing something dear to you appeals to a worldwide audience, making Dogger Hughes’ most successful book.