Babette Cole
A mischievous and groundbreaking author who tackled taboo topics for children with anarchic humor and scribbly, expressive illustrations.
1949–2017 (age 68)·English children's writer and illustrator·Birthday: September 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Babette Cole exploded into the world of children's literature with a uniquely subversive voice. Rejecting saccharine storytelling, she addressed questions about where babies come from, divorce, and bodily functions with a frankness that was revolutionary. Her most famous book, 'Mummy Laid an Egg!', used childlike drawings and absurd parental explanations to deliver the facts of life with hilarious clarity. Cole's style was instantly recognizable—energetic, messy line work filled with chaotic detail and characters brimming with personality. She wrote and illustrated over 150 books, championing a child's right to honest, funny information and empowering them to see the world without filters. Her work, though sometimes controversial, forged a new path for realism and comedy in picture books.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Babette was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Babette Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Babette's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2017Died at 68
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Authored and illustrated the seminal sex-education picture book 'Mummy Laid an Egg!' (1993).
- Created the long-running and beloved 'Doctor Dog' series, featuring a medical canine who explains health topics.
- Won the Kurt Maschler Award for 'The Trouble with Mom' (1983), which celebrated picture books where text and illustration worked seamlessly together.
- Produced a vast body of work exceeding 150 titles, many of which became international bestsellers.
Did You Know?
She trained at the Canterbury College of Art and later taught illustration at the University of Brighton.
She lived on a farm in Dorset and was a passionate horse breeder, owning several Welsh cobs.
Her book 'Princess Smartypants' was a feminist retort to traditional fairy tales, featuring a princess who actively avoids marriage.
“Children are much more sophisticated than we give them credit for. They can handle the truth if it's done with humor.”
