Barbara Firth

Barbara Firth featured at Eden Gallery in Lichfield

Barbara Firth


YOU AND ME LITTLE BEAR

Barbara Firth’s realisation of Martin Waddell’s Little Bear Storybooks, the
 touching story of Big Bear helping Little Bear overcome his fear of the dark
 by bringing him bigger and bigger lanterns, before taking him outside to 
show him how the moon – the biggest lantern of them all – is always
 there, touched a chord with parents and children alike.
Illustrated by
BARBARA FIRTH (1928-2013)

Barbara grew up in Cheshire, and received success relatively late in life with her rich, warm, evocation illustrations for children’s books, the most successful being ‘Can’t You Sleep Little Bear’ written by Martin Waddell.
Although, encouraged in her art at school, Barbara continued her education at the London College of Fashion and went on to a successful career for 15 years at Vogue, where she was production director on knitting, crocheting and dressmaking books. She went on to work with Marshall Cavendish books, supplying freelance illustrations. It was here she met Amelia Edwards, one of the founders of Walker Books. Her career as an illustrator started to flourish. Although Barbara was a very private person, she knew much about people, animals and the world; and shared her knowledge with deep feeling and sensibility. Generations of children have loved and will always love her books, and her long collaboration with Martin Waddell brought about a joyful richness – at once emotional and comical – to story times across the world. 


Contact
For information about Barbara Firth, call Eden Gallery in Lichfield on
01543 268 393
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