Telling tales

2011-06-07 17:51:20

7 June 2011 Last updated at 15:03 Share this page Delicious Digg Facebook reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Email Print Meet new children's laureate: Julia Donaldson By Tim Masters Entertainment and arts correspondent, BBC News Donaldson still performs up and down the country doing readings and songs Continue reading the main story Related Stories Donaldson is children's laureate Gruffalo author on saving libraries Gruffalo 'is top children's book'

New children's laureate Julia Donaldson talks about the joys of busking and why The Gruffalo won't appear as a smart-phone app.

"I know it's going to be busy," confides Julia Donaldson, a few minutes before she is officially unveiled in central London as the children's laureate for 2011-12.

"Anne Fine, one of the previous laureates, sent me an e-mail saying the most important thing is to book two really good holidays!"

Donaldson, the author of more than 120 books including Room on the Broom, Zog, and teenage novel Running on the Cracks, takes over from outgoing laureate Anthony Browne.

Continue reading the main story “Start Quote

I put the best ones up on the loo wall.”

End Quote Julia Donaldson on what she does with her fan mail

The 62-year-old writer, who was born in London and lives in Glasgow, is best known for The Gruffalo, the story of how a mouse outwits a mythical creature.

Donaldson plans to spend much of her laureateship promoting literature through performance. She wants to encourage "10-year-olds to act out stories for younger children".

Her biggest challenge, she says, will be the fight against library cutbacks.

"It will be a lot of work," she says, "but it will be the sort of work that I can learn a lot from. As an author you do get a bit sick of answering questions just about yourself and your childhood."

Having sold millions of books, just how big is her postbag?

Continue reading the main story PREVIOUS LAUREATES Anthony Browne (2009-11) Michael Rosen (2007-09) Jacqueline Wilson (2005-07) Michael Morpurgo (2003-05) Anne Fine (2001-03) Quentin Blake (1999-2001)

"Very big," she replies. "I get at least 30 schools writing to me each month. It is lovely, I put the best ones up on the loo wall."

She adds: "I got one the other day saying 'Dear Julia Donaldson, do you have your own library? And do you have your own husband?'"

Donaldson met her husband, Malcolm, when they were at Bristol university. She was studying drama and French and he was a medical student.

"We went busking together in Paris and that's how romance blossomed," she recalls.

The busking led to a career in songwriting for children's television which in turn led to one of her songs, A Squash and a Squeeze, being made into a book, illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

//

Source: