` During the Second World War, I worked in an empty building by the Thames. It had been used by the Thames Conservancy Board. When war came, they moved out & I was moved in. I stayed there for most of the war. I never went down to an air raid shelter. I was too busy trying to make people laugh about wartime bread & sausages, instead of crying about them.` Mabel Lucie Attwell Mabel Lucie Attwell was one of Britain`s best-loved artists with her work touching generations, from those who grew up with her classic characters, Bunty & the Boo-Boos, to those who have read Charles Kingsley`s The Water Babies, which she famously illustrated. Her art has found its way into homes across the world through figurines, bathroom plaques & gift cards featuring her charming designs. Yet, many of her most poignant & humorous illustrations were created to cheer a world at war. She painted prolifically throughout the First & Second World Wars, with postcards featuring her child-like characters & tongue-in-cheek captions that were typical of her saucy sense of humour. Despite suffering loss & hardship herself during the wars she continued to encourage people to `smile through the tears`. This book which brings a collection of her wartime postcards together exclusively for the first time, pays tribute to the indomitable spirit of this incredible woman & to her art that cannot fail to make you smile today for young & old alike.