Tiger Who Came to Tea exhibition draws 8,000 visitors

Judith Kerr was a refugee from Nazi Germany

An exhibition about classic children's book The Tiger Who Came to Tea has attracted thousands of visitors.

The show, based on Judith Kerr's beloved illustrated story, runs at Leicestershire's Charnwood Museum until 5 March.

It features illustrations from the collection of Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books.

Charnwood Borough Council said it had proved hugely popular, with almost 8,000 visitors so far.

The Tiger is initially well-mannered before greed gets the better of him

The exhibition features a reproduction of scenes from the story, such as the kitchen belonging to the book's main character, Sophie, where the Tiger wreaks havoc by eating all the food in the cupboards, drinking all the water in the taps and, notoriously, swigging all of Daddy's beer.

It also explores the childhood of Judith Kerr, who died in 2019 aged 95, and her experiences of having to escape Germany as Hitler came to power.

She and her family were refugees in Switzerland and then France, before finally settling in London in 1936.

Artwork from the book now features in Seven Stories's collection

Christine Radford, Leicestershire County Council's cabinet member for heritage, leisure and arts, said: "The Tiger Who Came to Tea exhibition has proved to be hugely popular with visitors of all ages and we are delighted to see so many people coming along and enjoying it."