Shirley Hughes wins the Book Trust Lifetime Achievement Award

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Read the announcement from Book Trust here

Read the lovely interview with Emily Drabble of The Guardian here

The word proud doesn’t begin to do it justice.

I’m also the last person who should be saying why she is such a worthy winner – I am far too close to be partial. I will just say this…

She knows, in life and in stories, which big things are important, and which little things say it best. Who else could tell you all you need to know about love and loss with only a pebble from the beach in a knitted bathing costume?

She knows about the huge sagas and magnificent triumphs that make up an ordinary day in the life of an ordinary child. Real families see themselves in her books: her characters become as familiar and loved as if they were the readers’ siblings.
Shirley Hughes isn’t just my family, she IS family.

Seeing the beautiful Alfie artwork currently on her drawing board, and the new Dixie stories landing on mine, AND hearing about the new novel taking shape at the kitchen table, isn’t it extraordinary to think that, at 87, her best work may still be ahead of her?

Ed, Tom and I would like to send a thousand thank you’s to Clare Hall Craggs, Andrea MacDonald and everyone at Book Trust for supporting Mum in receiving, preparing for and most of all enjoying this great honour and the event tomorrow.

I have been bowled over by the response online about this news. Mum doesn’t really know just how much she means to people, which is part of her charm but on a day like today maybe a little bit of a shame too.
If you would like to send her your congratulations, on twitter or even better in the comments below, it would give me enormous pleasure to pass it on to her.

Thank you.