Germany's celebrated children's author Janosch has died

Bear, Tiger and Tiger-Duck: The author and illustrator Janosch achieved world fame with his heartwarming children's figures. He died at the age of 95. Janosch, the pen name of German author and illustrator Horst Eckert, won hearts around the world with his warm and simple sense of humor.

He charmed children and adults alike with his iconic Tiger, Bear, Tiger-Duck and other animals. His best-selling children's book, "Oh, wie schön ist Panama," translated into English as "The Trip to Panama," was so lucrative that Janosch was able to settle down on the Canary Island of Tenerife in 1980, where he lived together with his wife Ines. The writer and illustrator died peacefully at the age of 95, his publisher Bernhard Feil announced on Wednesday.

Janosch was born as Horst Eckert on March 11, 1931, in Hindenburg (now Zabrze, Poland) in what was then Upper Silesia. After World War II, his family had to flee to Germany. In 1953, Janosch started studying at the Academy of Art in Munich, thinking that it would be easy to become an artist.