Good Bye, Tasha Tudor

I was saddened last week to hear that Tasha Tudor, famed children’s illustrator and author (and all around cool crunchy mama), had passed away.

Tasha felt like an old friend around here. My Mom is a huge fan of Tasha’s, and we had watched her movie, Take Joy – The Magical World of Tasha Tudor together. We felt like we knew her a little. People traveled from all over the world to view her home and gardens and to have tea with her. Tasha went barefoot most of the time so she could feel the earth under her feet.

Tasha was one of those women who lived life on her own terms. Instead of being afraid of what other people thought, she was a true individual. She lived and dressed as if she was in the 1830′s and felt like she had been born in the wrong time.

Tasha was one of the most prolific children’s book illustrators of all time. When you see her art work, you’ll probably recognize it even if you haven’t read any of her books. Tasha must have been a lot of fun to be around. She was always creating things for her 4 children to entertain them – drawing, creating little stories and books, even planning and orchestrating an elaborate doll wedding. She in fact was a single Mom who raised her 4 kids alone after a divorce.

Her books make for really nice read aloud time with your kids. Here are some we’ve enjoyed:

Corgiville Fair Tasha loved to write about her favorite dogs, Corgis. In this book the Corgis hold an annual fair.

And this book, while not written by Tasha, is just not the same without her. To me, The Secret Garden isn’t the Secret Garden unless it’s illustrated by Tasha Tudor. Ditto for the Little Princess.

1 Is One is a counting book for preschoolers.

Pumpkin Moonshine is another classic.

Say goodbye to Tasha and read one of her books this week.