RIP Jan Ormerod

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I have just learned of the death of a most wonderful author and illustrator of books for young children. Jan Ormerod has passed away at the age of 66. Her simple and eloquent picture books have touched the lives of many, many children since the publication of the very first one, Sunshine, in 1981. In her latest, Join the Zoo Hullabaloo!, she teamed up once again with illustrator Lindsey Gardiner and expressed the pure joy and laughter of childhood. (This was previously published as The Animal Bop Just Won't Stop.) Her inspiration was always found in her children and her keen observation of their mannerisms and antics, and this always ran through her work.
R.I.P., dear Jan. Thank you for the gentle and warm legacy of children's books you left us all.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/feb/03/jan-ormerod

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