Tributes have been pouring in for British author and illustrator Judith Kerr, creator of children's classics such as The Tiger Who Came To Tea, who died on Wednesday aged 95.
The German-born writer, whose family fled Berlin for Britain to escape Nazi Germany, has been described as "legendary" and responsible for teaching "whole families how to love books".
Kerr died at home following a short illness, according to a statement issued by publisher Harper Collins on Thursday.
Among the works published over her 50-year career were the autbiographical When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, which tells the story of the rise of Nazism from a child's perspective, and the Mog series, about the adventures of a cat and her family.
Other British children's writers took to Twitter to pay their respects, including Britain's Got Talent judge David Walliams.
I am so sad to hear that Judith Kerr has died. She was a legendary author and illustrator, whose stories and illustrations gave pleasure to millions around the world, not least me and my son. Judith is gone but her books will live on forever.
Other writers and journalists also paid their respects, praising her books' ability to bring families together.
My favourite book as a child was When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. My children’s favourite books are Mog and The Tiger Who Came To Tea. Judith Kerr taught whole families how to love books
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit was the defining book of my childhood. I never stopped wondering what happened to Judith - as it turned out i ended up living just down the road from her and was starstruck and tongue tied every time I spotted her in the street. RIP Judith Kerr
Labour MP Jess Philips shared her own story about how her family were inspired by Kerr's first book, The Tiger Who Came To Tea – a story about a girl and her mother who welcome a tiger in for afternoon tea, only to find that he consumes everything in the house and disappears.
The Tiger Who Came To Tea has sold five million copies since it was first published in 1968.
My children's favourite book. My husband with my sons once took all the food out of our cupboards and switched the water off so that when I got home from work the kids could say a tiger had been for tea. We put their coats over their pyjamas and took them to the cafe. https://t.co/3zhsZAaTac
We're very sad to hear that beloved children's author Judith Kerr has passed away. Back in 2011 we held an exhibition celebrating her work. Here's a 1986 illustration from the classic story The Tiger Who Came to Tea.
Some pointed out that no matter what commentators tried to read into the classic children's tale – from Nazi persecution to the sexual revolution of the 1960s – Kerr would insist that it was only ever about a tiger.
Heard a great Judith Kerr radio interview a while back where the interviewer suggested that the Tiger who came to Tea was in fact the Nazis coming for the Jewish people. Kerr paused and then slowly said: "The Tiger... is very much a tiger... who wants some tea."
I remember asking #JudithKerr Kerr if the tiger symbolised the 1960s sexual revolution where normal mores and suburban life became upended by this wild and exotic creature. She told me no, it was about a tiger coming to tea.
Before becoming a novelist, Kerr joined the BBC as a scriptwriter, and married screenwriter Nigel Kneale, who died in 2006. They are survived by their children, Matthew and Tacy, and their grandchildren.
Kerr was awarded Illustrator of the Year at the British Book Awards this month for the iconic designs that accompanied her work.
Ann-Janine Murtagh, executive publisher HarperCollins Children’s Books, praised Kerr's "incisive wit and dry humour".
"She embraced life as one great big adventure and lived every day to the full," she said. "Her characters and books have delighted generations of children and provided some of the first and fondest reading memories of childhood."