RON Heapy, who has died aged 82, was one of the most influential editors of children's books and oversaw the publication of numerous award-winning bestsellers.

Mr Heapy was responsible for bringing to life a catalogue of bestselling children's books, including Winnie the Witch, The Demon Headmaster and A Pack of Lies.

Oxford University Press described him as 'one of the most influential editors of British children's books that you've never heard of'.

The visionary editor nurtured a number of authors including Gillian Cross to win the prestigious Carnegie Medal.

Paying tribute to him the author wrote: "Over the years I came to understand that he was such a good editor because he was such a good person.

"He knew that children's books were important but he knew that the children were more important than the books."

Ron Heapy was born on May 9, 1935, in Liverpool and lived with his grandparents and his mother in a house in Newman Street.

The street was bombed during the war and the family narrowly survived a hit on a air raid shelter they were hiding in.

They eventually moved to Anfield Road and he went to Liverpool Collegiate Grammar School.

The school persuaded the family that Ron should apply to study at Oxford as he was doing so well and he earned a place at Worcester College to read greats.

But first he had to complete his National Service, which he spent in Turkey with the Royal Navy.

In 1956 he finally went to Oxford to do his degree and threw himself into drama, writing, acting and directing in shows.

He moved to London and began working for Oxford University Press and met his future wife Dorothy.

After being offered a job as deputy manager of the Karachi branch of OUP, the couple moved to Pakistan and married in Karachi on May 5, 1962.

Three years in Karachi was followed by two years as manager of the Hong Kong office and then a move back to London in 1968, where they had their two children Teresa and Joe.

When he finished compiling the African Encyclopedia the family moved to Oxford in 1973, living briefly in Wolvercote and then Summertown before settling in East Oxford in 1984.

In 1979 he took over the running of the Oxford children's book list, building it up to achieve commercial and critical success, producing a prizewinners and book which remain bestsellers to this day.

A few years later Valerie Thomas sent in a story about a witch in a black house in a forest.

Mr Heapy knew there was something in it and sat on the manuscript for two years before passing it on to up-and-coming artist Korky Paul.

The renowned illustrator came back with a large, full colour picture book Winnie the Witch, which went on to win the Children's Book Award in 1988 and is now a bestselling series around the world.

Over the years he also worked with authors such as Geraldine McCaughrean, Tim Bowler and Gillian Cross – who wrote The Demon Headmaster – on novels for older children, overseeing the publication of novels which won every major children's book prize, including the prestigious Carnegie Medal three times.

He retired in 2000, but was a frequent presence in the OUP offices for many years after and continued to direct the firm's Christmas show.

For more than 40 years he attended Sunday services at Blackfriars, in St Giles', and would take his own children out during the sermon to read to them – gradually more and more children would join his impromptu reading group each week.

He further turned his attentions to the next generation and volunteered for ARCh (Assisted Reading for Children), visiting local schools and helping children to experience the joy and purpose in reading.

An allotment he held kept him busy in his latter years as did courses he took on film and literature at the Department of Continuing Education at Oxford University.

He died on May 16 and is survived by his wife Dorothy, his son Joe, his daughter Teresa and five grandchildren.