Her best known book is Badger's Parting Gifts, a story which aims to be a gentle introduction to old age and bereavement for young children.
[1] Born in 1961 in Blackpool, England, Varley studied graphic design and illustration at Manchester Polytechnic.
A traditional picture book, it seeks to introduce old age and death to young children through a cast of anthropomorphised woodland characters.
The judges commented that Varley's treatment of the difficult subject of grief was "just distanced enough" for young children "and in no way mawkish".
[2] Badger's Parting Gifts is still in print, and in 2019 a 35th anniversary edition was released in partnership with the charity Child Bereavement UK.