When my son was little he wanted to read Richard Scarry books over and over again. What I wanted to read over and over again were the adventures of Lucy and Tom and Alfie and Annie Rose, as illustrated and written by Shirley Hughes.
Shirley Hughes passed away last week at the age of 94. I still have a good collection of her books, saving them for my grandchildren. Her illustrations are the most charming ever. The characters evolved over time. My Mom found an early Lucy and Tom book at a yard sale for me. In that book the mother is wearing a dress and stockings as she moves through the day with her young children. By the 80s the mother is wearing blue jeans and has curly hair. Of course the children were the stars of the books. Her illustrations were amazingly accurate in how children moved through day to day life. The seasons were captured exquisitely. Especially enchanting are her Nursery Collection books, suitable for very young children.
In the chart I found for Shirley she has Libra rise, fitting for an artist. Also a Mars Neptune conjunction, also an indication of artistic ability. She is a Cancer with a Cancer midheaven and Moon in the 5th house of children, so it is no surprise that children were her main subject. She also has a Jupiter Uranus conjunction in Aries on her descendant. This is one of my favorite conjunctions. It is known as the praise the Lord aspect. She found joy in others.
