Publishing pays tribute to children's author John Yeoman who has died age 89

The publishing industry has paid tribute to children’s author John Yeoman who died in early July, just three weeks shy of his 90th birthday, after a long illness.  

His publishers hailed his "impish humour" and the "combination of silliness, magic and fable" in his works, many of which were illustrated by Quentin Blake.  

Born in 1934 in Southwark, where his parents ran a small corner shop, Yeoman spent his formative years in the suburbs of southeast London, completing his secondary education at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. He was a contemporary of Blake’s and they attended Downing College, Cambridge, together. 

Yeoman spent his final weeks in a hospice near his home in South Kensington and his funeral took place at Mortlake Cemetery last Thursday. 

Jane Winterbottom of Walker Books UK said: "His impish humour and his playful language were infectious, never more so than in his Old Mother Hubbard’s Dog books published by Walker in the 1980s and still in print today. His witty texts were the perfect channel for Quentin Blake’s riotous illustrations and will continue to be enjoyed by future generations. We mourn the loss of a unique writer."

Tiffany Leeson at Farshore said: "Farshore was fortunate enough to publish two books by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake, Amazing Animal Stories and Magical Tales. Their 2017 exhibition at the House of Illustration, ‘Quentin Blake and John Yeoman: 50 Years of Children’s Books’ is without question one of the most extraordinary exhibitions I’ve ever been to. Thank goodness for their enduring friendship and collaborations through the years. The combination of silliness, magic and fable in John’s incredible stories have captivated children for over half a century. John’s passing is a huge loss to the world of children’s books and we will be forever grateful for the stories he’s given us." 

Roger Thorp at Thames & Hudson said: "We at Thames & Hudson have been lucky enough to be able to republish two wonderful publications by John and Quentin: The Boy Who Sprouted Antlers and their very first collaboration, A Drink of Water. It has been a privilege and a huge pleasure to publish with such a remarkable writer."

Charlie Sheppard at Andersen Press said: "On behalf of Andersen Press and our founder Klaus Flugge, we wish to express our sadness at the loss of John Yeoman. John was a wonderfully inventive, comic writer who changed the perception of how picture books can entertain children and families. We are proud to have published some of his classic collaborations with Quentin Blake—which remain in print for a new generation of children to love."

Yeoman’s agent, Caradoc King of United Agents, said: "To have represented John Yeoman, sometimes individually and most often through his professional partnership with Quentin Blake, for most his professional life at both A P Watt and United Agents has been an exceptional and hugely enjoyable experience. He was a brilliant children’s storyteller."

Since Nielsen BookScan launched in 2001, Yeoman’s books have shifted nearly 60,000 copies for just under £500,000, with his 2010 collaboration with Quentin Blake, Quentin Blake’s Magical Tales (Pavilion Children’s), the bestseller.   

A Drink of Water (Faber & Faber) was the first to be illustrated by Blake in 1960 and their collaboration continued for more than sixty years and over 30 titles. The back catalogue from the 1970s and ’80s was brought to new generations in the 2000s by Andersen Press. Their final collaboration was titled Meet the Family, published by Andersen in 2022.

Information on John Yeoman’s life was provided by his lifelong friend and frequent collaborator Quentin Blake, and Blake’s archivist Liz Williams.