Judith Kerr obituary | Julia Eccleshare | Books | The Guardian

The bestselling The Tiger Who Came to Tea (1968) was her first book. Characterised by its bold, naive-style illustrations and gentle anarchy, it tells the playful and imaginative story of how the everyday routine of a mother and her young daughter, Sophie, is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a handsome stripy tiger. There is no panic; the tiger settles down to drink all the water and eat all the food, to Sophie's delight rather than terror, before exiting politely. When father comes home he cheers mother and daughter up by taking them out to dinner.

Described as "a dazzling first book", which would make children "scream with delicious pleasure at the dangerous naughtiness of the notion" by Antonia Fraser, one of the earliest reviewers, it was initially received as exactly what it was: a simple picture book that generated delight for children. Later, it was subjected to much analysis, with many assuming that the tiger stood for the Gestapo, who had so vividly interrupted Judith's own childhood. It was a view she dismissed flatly; when chairing her at events across the country I frequently heard her say, in the nicest way possible, "It's just the story of a tiger who came to tea. I made it up to amuse my children because we were bored and because their father was away filming for very long days at a time."