Shirley Barber dies: Popular children’s author and illustrator of fairies books dies in sleep aged 88
A popular author and illustrator behind cult kids’ books about fairies and mermaids has died in her sleep aged 88.
A popular author and illustrator behind cult kids’ books about fairies and mermaids has died in her sleep aged 88.
Shirley Barber authored and illustrated more than 30 original picture books, each in a distinct style.
The popular titles include The Mermaid Princess, The Enchanted Woods, Tales from Martha B. Rabbit, The Tooth Fairy and The Seventh Unicorn.
These books have become a cult collectable among Gen Z with more than 7.8 million views of the search term Shirley Barber on TikTok.
Her first book, Martha B. Rabbit: the Fairies’ Cook was originally published by Memory Press in the late 1980s.
Barber wrote the story as a child and created a little dummy book complete with a red ribbon tie.
That little handmade book is still in her family’s possession today.
Her books launched a sea of spin-off products: including colouring books, jigsaw books, jigsaws, dinnerware, clothing, stickers and other merchandise, all featuring fairies, bunnies and mermaids.
According to her publisher Brolly Books, Barber knew that childhood can be a hard place for some, but she wanted her books to provide comfort and an escape, even if temporary, from less pleasant realities.
A third-generation artist, Barber grew up in the Channel Islands before moving to Australia in the 1960s, settling in Watsonia.
It was Australia that gave her a lifelong love of nature and painting, and her extensive body of work includes not only children’s book illustrations but also an impressive collection of Australian birds, landscapes, animals, and floral artworks.
This article originally appeared in PerthNow and was reproduced with permission
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