Winnie the Pooh illustrator's final book published after his death

The final book by an author and illustrator known for his contribution to children's books including Thomas the Tank Engine and Winnie the Pooh has been posthumously published.

Peter Lawson, from Cardiff, died in 2023 after a 21-month battle with bowel cancer, and wrote On Big Bear's Shoulders during that time.

It has been published on World Book Day to raise funds for Ty Hafan children's hospice, after Peter once said "children" and "hospice" should never be in the same sentence.

His daughter Thea Lawson said: "If one child reads the book and feels less frightened, or forgets they're unwell for a while, then it has done exactly what he hoped."

Peter had a 35-year career in children's books and also illustrated characters including Fireman Sam, Postman Pat, Dora the Explorer and Barbie.

On Big Bear's Shoulders allows children to explore new worlds in their imagination even when things might be tough, Thea said.

"In many ways On Big Bear's Shoulders is about reassurance," she told Radio Wales Breakfast.

"It tells a child that you are safe, someone is holding you, and this moment won't last forever.

"He didn't want the story to be about illness or dying.

"He wanted it to be about safety, about being carried when you're too small to understand what's happening around you."

Thea, who works in an A&E department, says she sees suffering everyday but this book feels different.

"This is the part of care that isn't clinical, it's comfort," she said.

"I think it's extraordinary that dad spent the final chapter of his own life thinking about people he believed needed comfort more than he did.

"Dad was determined that Ty Hafan should never have to worry about resources, and that the children there would feel joy as well as care.

"Dad always believed stories outlive people. In a way, this is him still helping families he will never meet, which I think is the most beautiful legacy you can leave."

Peter took part in a charity bike ride from Cardiff to St Andrews in Scotland for Ty Hafan in 2021, three months before his diagnosis.