Philippa Pearce and illustrator Helen Craig share two grandsons, Nat and Will, the sons of their children Sally and Ben. Philippa wrote A Finder's Magic for Helen to illustrate, and the name of the book's hero, "Tillawn" (Till), is an amalgam of the boys' names.

The peculiar relationship between the old and the very young is a constant theme in Philippa's writing and when, late in life, she had the "unexpected delight" of two small grandsons, it gave her a renewed burst of creative energy.

She called being a grandmother "a privilege, a rare, almost inexplicable pleasure - not just fun but something different, more." Philippa Pearce died in December 2006. The Philippa Pearce Memorial Lecture is held annually in September.