Meg and Mog illustrator Jan Pieńkowski dies, aged 85

Meg and Mog illustrator Jan Pieńkowski has died aged 85. 

Pieńkowski was best known for his silhouette cut-out illustrations and pioneering work in pop-up books, most famously with author Helen Nicoll. In total he published more than 140 books and in 2019 won the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to children’s literature. 

Francesca Dow, the managing director of Penguin Random House Children’s Books, confirmed that he died on Saturday morning (19th February). He had been living with Alzheimer’s. 

Dow said: “Jan was one of the great storytellers: an exceptionally talented creator, who was led by what interested him, and who treated children as his equals. 

“There was an impatience and wonderful curiosity to him, as he looked for new ways to tell stories: drawing on his Polish roots with his cut-out and silhouette work; his extraordinary use of colour; his pioneering interest in drawing on the computer; and of course his award-winning pop-ups which challenged publishers and printers to find new ways to create his books.” 

She said Pieńkowski "pored over every detail and some of us will remember that this could at times be infuriating, particularly when there was a tight deadline to meet. And yet he achieved the near impossible: simple, magical storytelling, which is why his books - such as my personal and our family favourites, the brilliant Meg and Mog stories - endure. 

"I feel very lucky to have had the chance to work with Jan, and also to have known and worked with Jan’s long-partner David Walser, who collaborated on Jan’s later books. Jan was a kind and loving person, always interested in ideas and people, and he and David enjoyed welcoming us into Jan’s studio and their home - as colourful, interesting and individual as Jan himself. We will greatly miss him."

Pieńkowski won the Kate Greenaway award in 1971 with the writer Joan Aiken for their second collaboration, The Kingdom Under the Sea (Jonathan Cape). He won his second Greenaway award in 1979 for the scary pop-up book Haunted House (Walker Books). He was also twice the UK nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen award, in 1982 and 2008, the highest recognition available to creators of children’s books. 

Pieńkowski was born in Warsaw and was just three years old when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, forcing the family to move around Europe before they eventually settled in England in 1946. 

He attended King’s College, Cambridge, to study classics and English and illustrated for Granta magazine and designed posters for university theatre productions. In his early career Pieńkowski drew live on the BBC children’s programme “Watch!”. 

A number of authors, illustrators and booksellers posted their tributes over the weekend. The London Review Bookshop said: “RIP Jan Pieńkowski – Haunted House is one of the best books in the shop, every time a kid comes across it browsing in the children’s section it blows their mind.” 

Illustrator Rob Biddulph wrote: "RIP Jan Pieńkowski, whose books, particularly the Meg & Mog series created with Helen Nicoll, are front and centre of my childhood memories. Some books really do leave an indelible impression, and I’m so grateful."

Diana Gerald, c.e.o. at BookTrust added: "Jan was a hugely influential figure in the children’s books world. His witty and innovative illustrations delighted and inspired so many children through the years, which is why we were honoured to present him with BookTrust’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. He truly understood the power of books to open children’s minds and help them to make sense of the world: he will live on in the minds of children and adults alike through his prolific work.”