Julia Donaldson biography

Born in 1948, Julia Donaldson was born and raised in North London with her younger sister, parents and extended family all sharing the family home. Her first interests were firmly rooted in music, her father being a Cello player and her mother a keen singer; herself and her sister were also members of the Children’s Opera Group. Attending Bristol University to study French and Drama, Donaldson met Malcolm, her future husband and together they busked their way around Europe, making up songs in the language of the country they were visiting, before marrying and settling in Glasgow.

A writer of songs for children’s BBC television, her first publication ‘A Squash and a Squeeze’ in 1993 was as a direct result of her song writing abilities with this indeed originally beginning life as one of Donaldson’s musical compositions. This first book was illustrated by Axel Scheffler and was set to be the beginning of a long and fruitful working relationship and friendship.

Her second book published, in 1999, was none other than The Gruffalo, a book which has sold over 3.5 million copies and remains a firm favourite of children, both big and small. The Gruffalo has also been released as an audio book, soft toy and musical CD. It has also been performed as a musical stage play both in London and on Broadway, New York. A multi award winning book, the sequel ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ released in 2004 has also received recognition and accolade.

Writing for both schools and the general public Julia Donaldson has had in excess of 140 books published to date with many more planned for release in the future. In addition to her rhyming and story books Donaldson has also written plays, for both small groups and class sized groups and musicals to be performed by adults for children.

Still true to her musical beginnings she has also released two CD’s of folk inspired music entitled First Fourteen and Second Fourteen for her ‘grown-up’ fan base.

Taking inspiration from diverse themes such as Chinese folklore (The Gruffalo) and from her own natural ability with rhyme and language Donaldson has revealed a true affinity with children and their fantastical view of the world around them.

Julia Donaldson books

• A Squash and a Squeeze (1993)
• The Gruffalo (1999)
• Monkey Puzzle (2000)
• Room on the Broom (2002)
• The Smartest Giant in Town (2002)
• Night Monkey, Day Monkey (2002)
• The Snail and the Whale (2003)
• Hide and Seek Pig (Tales from Acorn Wood) (2003)
• Postman Bear (Tales from Acorn Wood) (2003)
• Fox's Socks (Tales from Acorn Wood) (2003)
• Rabbit's Nap (Tales from Acorn Wood) (2003)
• The Gruffalo's Child (2004)
• The Giants and the Joneses (2004)
• The Magic Paintbrush (2004)
• Charlie Cook's Favourite Book (2005)
• The Princess and the Wizard (2006)
• Rosie's Hat (2006)
• Follow the Swallow (2007)
• Tiddler (2007)
• Tyrannosaurus Drip (2007)

Latest news: Julia Donaldson

Fantasy news round-up, July 9, 2010
A round-up of the latest fantasy-related news published during the first week of July 2010. The Hoose at Pooh’s Neuk A.A. Milne’s beloved children’s classic, Winnie- the- Pooh, was written in 1926 and has since been translated into many world languages including Breton, Frisian, Catalan and Sco [...]

Julia Donaldson to host live internet broadcast to thousands of children
Julia Donaldson, award winning author and creator of modern classic The Gruffalo, will revolutionise literature for children on 26 May when she hosts a live internet broadcast to thousands of children. The event is the latest to take place in the 'Meet Our Authors' programme, run by Scottish Book T [...]

Fantasy news round-up – April 19, 2010
RHS backs campaign to give every school child the chance to grow own food The campaign highlights the health, educational and environmental benefits of food growing, and calls for it to be incorporated as part of a food education for every child. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is backing [...]

The 20 greatest children's books ever, according to The Telegraph
Some are time-worn classics, some more recently embraced. Lucinda Everett selects the stories that resonate with the young decade after decade. We think that it is a great list and have added some of our favourites immediately afterwards. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Far from [...]

Fantasy news round-up – April 11, 2010
Game of Thrones re-cast sees Ehle replaced by Fairley Michelle Fairley is set to replace Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn Stark in the HBO production of Game of Thrones. Ehle played Catelyn in the pilot episode but the Irish-born Fairley will step into her shoes for the remaining nine episodes. The fant [...]

The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson reviewed on Fantasy Book Review
One tiny snail longs to see the world and hitches a lift on the tail of a whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs and volcanoes, sharks and penguins, and the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world. But when disaster strikes and the whale is beached in a bay, it [...]

Julia Donaldson to visit Burnley this Friday
Children’s author Julia Donaldson will be giving a talk at Burnley Youth Theatre on Friday 19 March at 2pm. The event, which is being run by Mid Pennine Arts, provides a rare opportunity for people living in Pennine Lancashire to listen to the writer talk about her work and literary career. The ev [...]

Egmont enters eBook market
March 1, 2010 saw Egmont UK launch its first e-book list with a range of contemporary and classic titles. Twenty-one best selling titles for pre-schoolers to teens will be available for the first time as eBooks, with the first 10 titles launching next Monday, the 8th of March. Among the first titl [...]

Fantasy news round-up – February 11, 2010
The Gruffalo announced as firm favourite of Irish mothers and their children Two-thirds of Irish mothers begin reading to their child before he or she is a year old and more than a quarter read to their child from birth, according to a new survey. It found that 71 per cent of mothers read a bedt [...]

Tabby McTat by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Julia Donaldson’s newest title for 2009 is an instant hit with kids as it features the likeable character of a cat – a firm favourite with children. The book tells the story of a buskers cat giving an insight into the world from a cats perspective - any child who has a cat as a pet will find this hi [...]