Shirley Barber- best-selling Australian children's author who sold more than 10 million copies of books including Martha B Rabbit - dies peacefully in her sleep
- Author and artist Shirley Barber died aged 88
- She was best known for her fairy picture books
- READ MORE: Woman left horrified by $200 fairy cake
Beloved children's author and illustrator Shirley Barber died peacefully in her sleep aged 88.
Barber's publisher, Brolly Books, announced she passed on Tuesday morning.
Although she never received any formal art training, Barber captured the attention of children around the world with her heartwarming fantasy picture books.
She is best known for her Martha B. Rabbit and fairy stories, including Rainbow Magic and A Visit to Fairyland, selling more than 10million books, diaries and calendars globally.
'In each of Shirley's children's books there are gentle messages of kindness, caring, friendship, and peace, never overstated but simply conveyed by the characters in her stories and their actions,' Brolly Books said in a statement.
Beloved children's author and illustrator Shirley Barber (above) passed in her sleep on Tuesday morning aged 88
Shirley Barber sold more than 10-million books, diaries and calendars across the world (pictured, Rainbow Magic by Shirley Barber)
Barber came from a family of artists and wrote and illustrated over 30 original books through her life.
She published her first book, Martha B. Rabbit: the Fairies’ Cook, in the 1980s after writing it in her childhood.
A long-time Australian resident, Barber moved from her home in the Channel Islands, owned by the United Kingdom, with her family to Watsonia, north Melbourne, in 1965.
In a 2008 interview, Barber admitted she'd always believed in fairies and understood her magical worlds were an important escape for children.
'I think some people perceive energies which they actually see as fairies and elves,' she told The Age.
'(When I was a child) I saw fairies go by my window.
'I didn't go off to sleep easily and I thought I saw in the twilight this flight of fairies.'
Barber moved to Melbourne from the UK in 1965 (pictured, The Fairies' Cookbook by Shirley Barber)
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Brolly Books said: 'Brolly Books is deeply saddened by the death of Shirley Barber.
'Shirley brought great joy to millions around the globe with her gentle stories and magnificent artwork, unmatched in our view in the level of detail, beauty, and skilled execution.
'It has been a great honour to work with Shirley and to bear witness to her genius.
'May she rest in peace.'
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