Shirley Hughes author page

Shirley Hughes biography

Shirley Hughes CBE (16 July 1927 – 25 February 2022) was an English author and illustrator renowned for her contributions to children’s literature. Over her career, she wrote more than 50 books and illustrated over 200, with global sales exceeding 11 million copies. Her work is celebrated for its warm, detailed depictions of everyday childhood experiences.

Born in West Kirby, Cheshire (now Merseyside), Hughes was the daughter of Thomas James Hughes, founder of the Liverpool-based department store chain T. J. Hughes, and his wife Kathleen. She studied drawing and costume design at the Liverpool School of Art and later attended the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford. In 1952, she married architect and etcher John Vulliamy, with whom she had three children, including children’s book illustrator Clara Vulliamy.

Hughes began her career illustrating works by other authors, including Dorothy Edwards’s *My Naughty Little Sister* series and Noel Streatfeild’s *The Bell Family*. She published her first book, *Lucy and Tom’s Day*, in 1960. Her breakthrough came with *Dogger* (1977), which won the Kate Greenaway Medal and was later voted the public’s favourite winning work of the award’s first fifty years. The story of a boy’s lost and found toy dog resonated deeply with readers and remains a classic of children’s literature.

Hughes’s other notable works include the *Alfie* series, which began with *Alfie Gets in First* (1981), and *Ella’s Big Chance* (2003), a retelling of Cinderella. Her illustrations, often rendered in pen and ink, gouache, and watercolour, are noted for capturing the nuances of children’s emotions and the subtleties of family life.

In recognition of her lifetime achievements, Hughes received the inaugural BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2017. She was also a patron of the Association of Illustrators and a recipient of the Eleanor Farjeon Award for distinguished service to children’s literature.

Shirley Hughes passed away on 25 February 2022 at the age of 94.

Shirley Hughes

• Author biography
• Author website

Books by Shirley Hughes

The Shirley Hughes Collection
Shirley Hughes
Dogger
Shirley Hughes Alfie Pack
Hero on a Bicycle
Alfie Gets in First
Shirley Hughes Baby Record
Ella’s Big Chance: A Jazz-Age Cinderella
Whistling in the Dark
Digby O’Day in the Fast Lane
The Big Alfie and Annie Rose Storybook
Alfie’s Feet
Alfie Gives a Hand
The Lion and the Unicorn
Alfie and the Birthday Surprise
An Evening At Alfie’s
The Big Alfie Out of Doors Storybook
All about Alfie
Bathwater’s Hot
Out and About