Animal Magic

Hilary Middleton recalls a children's author whose tales are still enjoyed today

- Hilary Middleton

A lison Uttley was a uniquely gifted and much-loved writer of children's stories. The adventures of Little Grey Rabbit, Squirrel and Hare, Little Red Fox and Sam Pig sold in their millions. Her vividly portrayed characters inhabit a magical, enchanted world drawn from the author's own idyllic childhood in rural Derbyshire, reflecting her passion for nature and deep love of the countryside. Warm-hearted and exquisitely detailed, her books are full of wry humour and gentle sentiment.

She was a complicated woman.

Her forceful personality and exacting demands blighted many relationships, notably with Margaret Tempest who illustrated most of the Grey Rabbit books.

They fought bitterly over who should have the greater share in copyright and royalties. She was dismissive of literary rivals, describing Enid Blyton as a "vulgar, curled woman", and saying that Beatrix Potter was not a storyteller but an illustrator who fitted words around pictures.

Alice Jane Taylor (she adopted the name Alison when her first book was published), was born during a snowstorm at Castle Top Farm, Cromford, near Matlock, in Derbyshire's Peak District on 17 December 1884. Magnificently situated in an isolated spot above the Derwent Valley, the Taylor family had farmed there for 200 years, and the hilly, wooded landscape was to make a lifelong impression on the young Alison.