Jean Adamson, the children’s author whose Topsy and Tim book series inspired a CBeebies TV show of the same name, has died aged 96. Her family announced the news of her death in a statement, in which they expressed their ‘deep sorrow’ over their loss.
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Adamson created the Topsy and Tim book series – which consists of more than 150 books – with her husband Gareth Adamson, who died in 1982. The message from her family read: ‘It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved Jean Adamson.
![[Hit children's book Topsy and Tim turned into CBeebies' first ever live drama]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233655027_1734531414.746-e289.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘Jean was a devoted mother, grandmother, sister, author and great-grandmother, whose kindness and warmth touched the lives of all who knew her,’ it read. ‘Her presence will be greatly missed, but her memory will live on in the hearts of her family and all those she loved or that remember her through her stories.
![[Children's author Jean Adamson whose books inspired Topsy and Tim TV series dies aged 96]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233654741-a6dd.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘Although we will take this time to mourn her loss, we will also ensure to celebrate her remarkable life.’. The couple first started publishing the Topsy and Tim books – which follow the adventures of a pair of twins – in 1960. Born in Peckham in 1928, Adamson received a scholarship when she was 16 years old to study illustration and design at Goldsmiths College in London.
She met her future husband while she was studying at the college, and eventually married several years later in 1957. In the 1950s, Adamson began working as an illustrator, having also taught at the college where she studied and worked as a freelance artist in different mediums.
