Judy Taylor obituary

Doyenne of children’s publishing who promoted Beatrix Potter and nurtured Maurice Sendak’s talent

The writer and publisher Judy Taylor, who has died aged 93, had a long and distinguished career in the field of children’s books. Her second career as an expert on Beatrix Potter developed only after her retirement from publishing: in her 30 years at Bodley Head, for 15 years as children’s books editor under Max Reinhardt, she created an important children’s list, nurturing talents such as Maurice Sendak, creator of Where the Wild Things Are.

During their long friendship from their first meeting in 1961, she and Sendak shared a love of Potter’s work. Sendak admired her as an artist and Judy’s enthusiasm was rooted in memories of being read The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle as a child. As a children’s books editor, Judy appreciated the groundbreaking creative work of Potter, but she was also fascinated by her as an early conservationist and a hands-on farmer in the Lake District, where Judy herself went to school.