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 event, which is being held at Burnley Youth Theatre, will include a bookshop where copies of Donaldson’s books can be bought; the author will also be available to sign copies after her talk.
Born in 1948, Julia Donaldson was born and raised in North London. 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. 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 The Gruffalo, a book which has sold over 10.5 million copies and remains a firm favourite of children, both big and small.
Tickets for the event cost just £5 and are available on a first come first served basis. (The event is not suitable for under 16s). To reserve tickets call 01282 421986.
To coincide with Donaldson’s talk Burnley Youth Theatre are presenting her play Bombs and Blackberries on Friday 19 at 7.30pm and Saturday 20 March at 2.30pm. The play, which is suitable for children aged 7 and above, is set in Manchester during World War II.
Tickets for Bombs and Blackberries are available from Burnley Youth Theatre on 01282 427766 and cost £6 per person, £4 for concessions or £18 for a family ticket.
Burnley Youth Theatre is located on Queen’s Park Road, Burnley, BB10 3LB. For more information about the work of Mid Pennine Arts, visit www.midpenninarts.org.uk.
Posted: March 10th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Julia Donaldson
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 bedtime story to their kids nearly every night. Some 28 per cent of mothers read to their children every night, 30 per cent do so most nights and 13 per cent read to their children every other night. Five per cent of mothers said they never read to their children. Of those, a fifth said they are too busy to do it. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson was the favourite children’s book of the mothers surveyed, followed by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Cat in the Hat. Roald Dahl was the most popular children’s author, followed by Enid Blyton and Dr Seuss. Eoin Colfer topped the poll of favourite Irish authors.
Fancy a cup of Hobbit tea?
Fans of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings might want to fire up the kettle and get out their map of Middle-earth. A tiny Wayne County village near Wooster is where seven young Mennonite and Amish workers are mixing and packaging teas, herbs and fruit into three new blends: Hobbiton Meadow Mint, Gandalf the Gray Tea and Bilbo Baggins Breakfast Blend.
Hobbit Teas, named for the peaceable diminutive characters in Tolkien’s books, went for sale exclusively online on www.hobbittea.com two weeks ago. The site got 300 hits from around the world within the first 24 hours.
Wizarding world of Harry Potter website launched
As the spring opening of Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park gets closer and closer a new website has been launched to heighten the anticipation of Potter fans yet further. For more information, visit http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/.
The 2010 Cape and Island Quidditch Cup
Fans of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books will flock to the Cape in March to compete in his favourite game quidditch, the fictional ballgame the wizards played on flying broomsticks, where players perform acrobatic aerial manoeuvres, dodge damaging blows from opponents and, ultimately, seek out the snitch.
The 2010 Cape and Island Quidditch Cup on March 27 and 28 started as an unusual senior fundraiser and may be growing into a New England event that could help boost the local economy in the off-season.
For more information, visit http://sites.google.com/site/2010capeislandsquidditchcup, www.collegequidditch.com and http://sites.google.com/site/savannahquidditchleague/IQARulebook
JK Rowling’s message to donators
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has passed on a message to all those donated to Partners in Health through in the Helping Haiti Heal project which is a multi-fandom effort currently underway to raise funds for the ravaged nation of Haiti. To date, Helping Haiti Heal has raised $112,000.
"To everyone who has helped raise such an incredible amount for the earthquake survivors in Haiti: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.”
Posted: February 11th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Eoin Colfer, JK Rowling, JRR Tolkien, Julia Donaldson
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 highly amusing.
‘Tabby McTat was busker’s cat with a miaow that was loud and strong, the two of them sang of this and that’ – this particular tale is of Tabby McTat becoming separating from his dotting owner, the busker. After searching for the busker in the familiar square ‘he was never there’, so McTat goes on a journey as he finds a new family, and in turn a wife. The buskers cats life changes dramatically as he has ‘a very full life with plenty of things to do, like washing Prunella, and pouncing on Pat, and hiding the car keys under the mat’ – and he even has kittens of his own, but he can never settle as he misses the busker too much. As McTat goes in search of the busker, his young son, Samuel Sprat follows him. Once McTat is reunited with the busker he then realises he doesn’t have time for busking now he has his life with his wife – ‘then out from the shadow sprang Samuel Sprat’ – and little Samuel takes the role as the buskers cat.
The infamous partnerships of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is once again a winning formula as the illustrations more than do justice to the story. The details of Scheffler’s drawings bring to life further the story, and kids will have fun searching for the gruffulo (now a trademark to his illustrations).
The story is a real heart warmer and told in the familiar rhyming , almost lyrical style, of Julia Donaldson – it is an excellent read.
Parental note: Do not underestimate the interest from younger readers in this book – the powerful illustrations and the tone of the story are well worth introducing to them early.
Age group: 2-6
Julia Donaldson biography
The Gruffalo book review
The Gruffalo’s Child book review
Stick Man book review
Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book review
Posted: January 2nd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Julia Donaldson
The fantasy genre’s strong showing amongst Amazon’s book and author’s of the decade
The final and penultimate books in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series were the top-selling books of the last decade, according to list released by Amazon. Stephenie Meyer also showed well in the list with three of her vampire romance novels appearing in third, fourth and fifth position.
Rowling was, unsurprisingly, also the best-selling author of the decade, with Stephenie Meyer, Julia Donaldson, Terry Pratchett and Enid Blyton showing the fantasy genre to be as popular as ever.
Enid Blyton, whose books are supposed to have fallen out of fashion, was possibly the biggest surprise in a list of which eight of the ten books were written by women. Blyton’s charming tales, including the Famous Five and Noddy series, remain as popular as ever, bought by parents and grandparents who remember the books fondly from their own childhoods.
The only male to make an appearance is the Afghan-born novelist Khaled Hosseini, whose books The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Top 10 best-selling books of the decade:
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – JK Rowling
- Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer
- Twilight -Stephenie Meyer
- Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard – JK Rowling
- New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
- The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
- The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
- A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
Top 10 best-selling authors of the decade:
- JK Rowling
- Stephenie Meyer
- Julia Donaldson
- Terry Pratchett
- Jamie Oliver
- Dan Brown
- Enid Blyton
- Bernard Cornwell
- Alexander McCall Smith
- William Shakespeare
Posted: December 18th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling, Julia Donaldson, Stephenie Meyer, Terry Pratchett
Julia Donaldson’s Room on the Broom stage adaptation on at The Pleasance, London
Tall Stories have had great success with their stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s masterpiece The Gruffalo. Now they’ve turned their attention to that team’s Room on the Broom. It’s not as focused or funny as The Gruffalo,but it’s a very serviceable piece of children’s theatre.
The cast of four play a witch and the puppet animals who want to cadge a ride from her. A lot of the crowd know exactly where the tale is going: “Dragon!” cry out some young punters just before the Welsh dragon appears in the clouds. But Olivia Jacobs’s production boasts good comic turns, especially from a Southern frog and a camp green bird. The big addition is the fine songs, culminating in a Seventies rock finale.
(Times Online)
Box office: 020-7609 1800, to Jan 3
Born in 1948, Julia Donaldson was born and raised in North London.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. 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.
Posted: December 18th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Julia Donaldson
The Gruffalo, poisonous warts and all, returns to the West End
From the 25th of November until the 10th of January 2010, The Gruffalo will return to the West End.
After last year’s sell-out success The Apollo Theatre hosts the return of the 55-minute stage adapted and directed by Tall Stories duo Olivia Jacobs and Toby Mitchell.
Since its 2006 premiere, the production has been performed over 3,000 times to the delight of 700,000 children aged 3 and above, across the UK, Eastern Europe, the Americas and the Far East.
Illustrated by Axel Scheffler, the original Julia Donaldson book has sold over 4 million copies in 38 languages, and is the subject of a star-studded BBC animation that will enjoy prime-time Christmas scheduling.
Follow the quick-thinking mouse into the deep, dark wood in this magical and musical modern classic. Discover what happens when he comes face to face with wheeler-dealer Fox, an eccentric old Owl, a maraca-shaking Snake, and, of course, the Gruffalo!
With uniquely physical and visually striking family shows, Tall Stories have made their mark in the West End, on Broadway and beyond. Previous successes include The Owl and The Pussycat and How the Giraffe got its Neck. They have recently staged Donaldson and Scheffler’s Room on the Broom.
For further information please contact The Corner Shop, 020 7494 3665 or email laura@thecornershoppr.com
Tickets: £11.50 – £14.50 (a 50p restoration levy will be added to all ticket prices)
£8.50 schools and groups 10+ (one teacher goes free per every 10 pupils 50p restoration levy included in this price)
Box office: 0844 412 4658
Book online www.nimaxtheatres.com
Posted: November 27th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Julia Donaldson
The Gruffalo voted favourite bedtime story by Radio 2 listeners
Listeners to BBC Radio 2 have voted Julia Donaldson’s timeless children’s tale The Gruffalo as the nation’s favourite bedtime story. Nearly 20,000 listeners voted from a shortlist of eight books and the Gruffalo received around one-fifth of the vote. A.A. Milne’s Winnie The Pooh came second and Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar came third.
The eight shortlisted books voted for from a long list of 36 stories were:
- Charlie And The Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
- Each Peach Pear Plum – Janet and Allan Ahlberg
- Five On A Treasure Island – Enid Blyton
- The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson
- The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe – CS Lewis
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
- Where The Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
- Winnie The Pooh – AA Milne
Written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, the book has sold more than four million copies worldwide since it was published a decade ago.
It tells of an innovative mouse who manages to escape the clutches of an owl, a fox and a snake before finally outwitting the terrifying Gruffalo itself. The book drew a fifth of the votes, beating runner-up Winnie The Pooh and third-placed The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
The Gruffalo has also been adapted for television by BBC1 – with Robbie Coltrane in the title role – and will be screened at Christmas. The cast also features Helena Bonham Carter, John Hurt and Tom Wilkinson.
The book has won several prizes for children’s literature, and has been made into a West End and Broadway play.
It is intended for readers aged from three to seven.
The long list was compiled by the Jeremy Vine Show, Michael Rosen and in consultation with The Reading Agency, the Youth Libraries Group and the Association of Senior Children’s and Education Librarians. Voting opened at noon on Monday 2 November and closed at 2.00pm on Thursday 5 November.
Listeners were invited to vote via the Radio 2 website at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2. The site features a short extract of each of the shortlisted stories, voiced by Jeremy Vine, and the long list of 36 titles. Published by Macmillan Children’s Books and celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, The Gruffalo is a worldwide classic and has sold over four million copies around the globe.
Posted: November 7th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Julia Donaldson
The Acorn Wood Series by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
The Tales of Acorn Wood Series is not one of Julia Donaldson’s most famous creations but they are titles designed for the early years and a great introduction to reading books, and to Donaldson’s rhyming style.
The books work to capture toddlers attention with ‘lift the flaps’ which engage kids really easily, and after several readings they will start to pre-empt what will appear.
True to form Axel Scheffler provides some great illustrations that sit alongside the text and help to stir children’s imagination.
Postman Bear
The tale of Postman Bear is by no means complex but holds young minds long enough to make them want to come back for more.
Postman bear is writing three letters that he hand delivers to the homes of his friends – behind each door is a character and children enjoy guessing who is behind it. Towards the end of the story it is revealed the Postman Bear has invited his friends to his birthday party which, being a child’s favourite past time, is a huge hit with little readers.
Fox’s Socks
Take a journey with Fox as he goes on a hunt throughout the house for his missing sock. Although limited on words, this is a humorous story as Fox finds lots of different clothes hidden – ‘he looks in a chest and finds a vest’.
Rabbit’s Nap
Poor Rabbit is trying to have a nap but everywhere she goes is too noisy. In her quest for sleep Rabbit encounters Builder Bear mending the shutters and Tortoise ringing his bicycle bell, with her friends finally singing her to sleep. This is highly amusing and kids will be chuckling at this story.
Hide and Seek Pig
As it suggests in the title, Pig is playing hide and seek with her friend hen. Readers will love this as they join Pig in the hunt – highly entertaining for children.
Parental notes: Start this one early is highly recommended as even from the age of 12 months children will enjoy turning the flaps (supervised), and as they grow will enjoy helping to tell the tale with animal noises, finding the s funny with little laughs here and there – a nice reward for all your reading!
Age: 1-3
Julia Donaldson biography
The Gruffalo book review
The Gruffalo’s Child book review
Stick Man book review
Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book review
Posted: October 18th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Julia Donaldson
Niffenegger praises Jonathan Strange, JK Rowling tweets and thumbs up for Ghost Hunter
Here follows a round-up of the best fantasy-related news items from the past seven days.
Audrey Niffenegger’s novel The Time Traveller’s Wife has sold more than five million copies. In a recent interview she was asked “What book do you wish you’d written?” And her reply?
“Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It’s mind-bending – a perfect blend of historical reality and fantasy.”
We completely agree with Audrey Niffenegger’s thoughts on this wonderful and truly unique novel – read our review to find out why.
In an attempt to counter numerous fake Rowlings on Twitter, JK Rowling has set up her own account. But she warned that she didn’t plan many tweets.
"I should flag up now that although I could twitter endlessly, I’m afraid you won’t be hearing from me very often as pen and paper is my priority at the moment.”
To follow Ms Rowling’s likely-to-be infrequent tweets, visit http://twitter.com/jk_rowling.
October 12, 2009 will be the 30th anniversary of the launch of Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It will also be the day on which the sixth instalment, And Another Thing? (penned by Eoin Colfer), will be unleashed upon a slightly-wary public.
To celebrate this, Colfer will be touring the UK, promoting and signing copies of his new book beginning with Hitchcon’09 in Central London, where a gathering of the largest number of Hitchhiker fans ever will take place.
The History Channel will air an episode on JRR Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings as part of its “Clash of the Gods” series. The episode airs at 10 pm EST, Monday October 5 and again at 2 am EST on Tuesday, October 6.
Karen George, an undiscovered illustrator from London and graduate of the Royal College of Art, has been named the winner of Waterstone’s and Macmillan Children’s Books ‘Picture This’ competition. She beat more than 900 aspiring artists to take the prize of illustrating a new book by Julia Donaldson. George receives a full publishing contract, with advance and royalties, to illustrate Freddie and the Fairy, a charming tale of a boy and a hard-of-hearing fairy told in Donaldson’s trademark rhythmic rhyme. Freddie and the Fairy, by Donaldson and George, will be published by Macmillan Children’s Books in Autumn 2010.
Ghost Hunter, Michelle Paver’s six-part series comes full circle. Torak, the boy orphaned in the first book, Wolf Brother, is drawn by a tantalising glimpse of the ghost of his adored father into the clutches of the most powerful of the Soul-Eaters, the Eagle Owl Mage. The Independent says that “the finale is a climax as intense as Tolkien’s fall of Mordor, with demonic dogs, fiendish one-time children, and Soul-Eaters summoned from beyond the grave. Best of all, Paver succeeds in creating a conclusion with no mawkishness when she resolves the relationship between Torak and Renn – and, of course, Wolf.”
Posted: September 26th, 2009
Author: Floresiensis
Categories: Eoin Colfer, JK Rowling, JRR Tolkien, Julia Donaldson, Michelle Paver, Susanna Clarke
In Bath with the Gruffalo this Christmas
Following a sell-out run in the West End at Christmas, Tall Stories’ live stage adaptation of the best-selling picture book The Gruffalo returns to the Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday September 1 to Saturday September 5 as part of a UK tour.
Join Mouse on an adventurous journey through the deep dark wood in this magical, musical adaptation of the award-winning picture book The Gruffalo. Mouse can scare hungry animals away with tall stories of the terrifying Gruffalo, but what happens when he comes face to face with the very creature he imagined?
The Gruffalo is an ideal introduction to theatre for pre and primary school children and their families – if you are still not convinced you can watch a sneak preview online at www.gruffalolive.com
This 2009 tour coincides with the 10th birthday of the award-winning picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, which has now sold more than three million copies worldwide.
Source: This is Bath
For tickets call the Theatre Royal Bath box office on 01225 448844 or online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk
Born in 1948, Julia Donaldson was born and raised in North London. 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. 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.
Posted: August 27th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Julia Donaldson
Book of the Month
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And its been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
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Graham Hancock is the author of The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis, Heaven's Mirror, Supernatural and other bestselling investigations of historical mysteries. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. Written with the same page-turning appeal that has made his non-fiction so popular, Entangled is his first work of fiction. We have five signed copies of Entangled to give away as prizes. Email us the answer to the following question and the lucky winner, chosen at random, will receive a copy of the book, signed by the author.
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