Deirdre McDermott, picture book publisher and associate director of Walker Books, has died. "One of the most respected figures in children's publishing, Dee McDermott spent 37 years at Walker Books and played a pivotal role in shaping one of the world's most acclaimed picture book lists. Unique among many publishers of her generation, she brought an art director's eye, a deep understanding of storytelling, and an exceptional instinct for illustration and design," the company said.
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| Deirdre McDermott | |
Born in Dublin, Ireland, McDermott studied visual communication at the National College of Art and Design. She joined Walker Books in 1989 as a junior paperback designer and spent three years as a design assistant to Amelia Edwards, one of Walker's founding members. McDermott rose to become picture book publisher and associate director in 2002. "Her taste, judgement and attention to detail helped shape the Walker picture book list for more than three decades," the publisher noted.
At Walker Books, McDermott championed generations of celebrated authors and illustrators, including Bob Graham, Chris Haughton, Helen Oxenbury, Oliver Jeffers, and Jessica Love, while also discovering and nurturing emerging creators through initiatives such as the Sebastian Walker Award, which she helped establish in partnership with Cambridge School of Art in 2011. She also joined the board of the Association of Illustrators in 2018 and was one of their longest serving trustees.
In her 24-year tenure as publisher, Walker Books won the Carnegie Medal for Illustration six times; the Klaus Flugge Prize three times, including most recently with Forest Xiao's Seven Babies; as well as the Oscar's Book Prize twice; the Bologna Ragazzi for A Child of Books (Sam Winston and Oliver Jeffers); and the 2024 Waterstones Prize for Best Illustrated Book for The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish (Chloe Savage). Oh Dear, Look What I Got! (Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury) won this year's children's nonfiction & illustrated category at the British Book Awards.
"Dee was one of a kind," said Maria Tunney, editorial director, picture books. "It was her sharp art director's eye, her instincts for type and page layout, her love of storytelling and her impeccable taste in art that has made the picture book list what it is today. We learnt so much from her, not just about bookmaking but about life--how to move through the world, how to be. When she decided that she would stop working, she said to me: 'One thing: no mediocrity.' So that is the feeling and the message that we will be carrying with us; that is her legacy. All of us in the picture book team are incredibly grateful to have had the time with her that we had. We feel so lucky. I will miss her forever."
Shannon Cullen, publishing director of Walker Books UK, commented: "To know Dee was to know the energy that comes from creativity. We are all united in our deep sense of loss, but uplifted by the fun and vibrant memories that Dee has given us. She changed the way we work, even the phrases we use; she upheld the integrity with which Walker approaches bookmaking; and above all she was an honest and loyal friend. Like all the brilliant books she had a hand in, Dee's influence will be enduring and best-in-class."
Walker Books Group CEO Belinda Ioni Rasmussen described McDermott as "a force of nature, a bundle of joy, an unstoppable energy, an enthusiasm that touched us all, and the source of some of the very best laughs we ever shared. Dee leaves a big heart-shaped hole in our lives, but her irrepressible spirit will live on. We will continue to make extraordinary picture books in her name and honor her legacy by carrying forward the work she believed in so passionately. We hope to make you proud, Dee."