The imagination of Babette Cole · 1949–2017
A world of glorious mischief.
Meet the unforgettable characters, rebellious stories and brilliantly unexpected ideas of Babette Cole. Eight worlds are waiting to be explored.
Where will you go first?
Pick your kind of trouble.
Eight doorways into Babette’s imagination. Choose one and see where the stories take you.
Step inside the stories
The eight worlds of Babette Cole
Every illustration has a story. Every story has a surprise. Find your favourites — and discover something new.
Princess Smartypants, Princes & Twisted Fairytales
Princesses who rewrite the rules, princes who get more than they bargained for, and fairy tales turned gloriously upside down.
Enter this world
The Trouble With Series
Witches, robots, mysterious grans and pirate uncles. In Babette’s families, the grown-ups are usually the problem.
Enter this world
Bodies, Babies, Growing Up & Big Questions
Curious about bodies, babies and the strange business of growing up? Babette had a way of finding answers that made everyone laugh.
Enter this world
Dr Dog, Health & Animal Chaos
Meet the four-legged doctor and an assortment of animals with very unusual ideas about good behaviour. Expect laughter and mayhem.
Enter this world
And there’s more...
Never a dull page.
A few more surprises are waiting around the corner. Keep exploring.
Ponies, Unicorns & Magical Adventures
Horses, enchanted places and daring adventures: follow Babette’s love of ponies into stories where almost anything can happen.
Enter this world
Gross, Silly, Smelly, Hairy & Bad Behaviour
Bad manners, terrible smells and wonderfully ridiculous situations. Sometimes being gloriously silly is the whole point.
Enter this world
Nungu, Promise & Early Animal Adventures
Meet the lively animals and early adventures that helped define Babette’s playful, mischievous way of seeing the world.
Enter this world
Illustrated by Babette Cole
Discover the books where Babette’s unmistakable illustrations brought other authors’ stories to life, full of wit and character.
Enter this world
From the original archive
Own a little piece of the magic.
Selected original illustrations by Babette Cole are available for purchase. Explore the artwork and enquire about a one-of-a-kind piece from her extraordinary career.
Explore original artworkThe artist behind the stories · 1949–2017
Meet Babette.
Brilliant, outrageous and endlessly inventive, Babette Cole made books that challenged conventions, delighted children and made grown-ups laugh (or blush). Get to know the woman who dreamed up these extraordinary worlds.
Read Babette’s obituary
