Shirley Hughes’s beautiful illustrations full of carefully researched period detail, go right to the heart of the social changes that took place in the first half of the century. Different fashions, different foods, different working practices, different dances – all sorts of small things that effect everybody’s daily lives are illustrated in black and white sketches while big colour pictures portray some of the most important moments such as life in the trenches during the First World War. It’s a fascinating record, ideal for anyone interested in social history.
Shirley Hughes' rich narrative paintings and finely observed line illustrations are interwoven with fascinating details, capturing the atmosphere of the era. Stunning double-page spreads offer poignant snapshots of life, from an elegant Edwardian picnic to afternoon tea in the trenches during the First World War. Each spread is followed by a ‘scrapbook’ of the times, featuring fascinating details about domestic life and the events and innovations that shaped the modern world.
This is an intimate book of stories within stories, told from the author's own personal experience.
Winner of the Book Trust Lifetime Achievement Award 2015.
Shirley Hughes (1927 – 2022) was born and grew up in West Kirby, near Liverpool. She studied at Liverpool Art School and at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford, before embarking on a career as a freelance illustrator. At first she worked as an interpretive illustrator, but she began to write and design her own picture books when her children were very young. Her first book, Lucy and Tom's Day, was published in 1960.
Shirley Hughes illustrated over two hundred children's books and is renowned as a champion of children's literature. She has been the recipient of the Other Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal and the prestigious Eleanor Farjeon Award. She was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in2010, which rewards the best in contemporary children's and young adult literature from all over the world.
