Gruffalo creator Julia Donaldson is new children’s laureate

Donaldson plans to promote music and drama and champion libraries during her tenure Julia Donaldson, the author of the bestselling picture book The Gruffalo, has been appointed the new children’s laureate, taking over from illustrator Anthony Browne for a two-year term. Donaldson, who lives near Glasgow and is the first Scottish-based laureate, has been writing children’s books for more than 20 years, from picture books and reading schemes for schools to a novel for teens. She is best known for her rhyming texts for picture books, particularly the collaborations with Axel Scheffler which produced The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child, Zog and The Snail and The Whale. The Gruffalo has become a million-selling partnership with merchandise filling the shelves, a stage show in London’s West End and a 30-minute animation first screened on BBC1 at Christmas in 2009, featuring the voices of Helena Bonham Carter and Tom Wilkinson. Donaldson started her career writing songs for children’s television and intends to put music and drama at the heart of her laureateship. “The laureateship is an honour but it’s not the kind of honour you can just bask in, so I’m planning to have quite an active two years. I’m hoping to bring some drama and music to the job. I always act out my own stories with lots of audience participation so I’m planning to do lots more of that. I hope to encourage and inspire children to act stories out, though it’s too early to say whether there will be one major theatrical event,” she said. Following comments from her predecessor, Anthony Browne, in an open letter to his successor , that “we’ll all pay the price in the long term” if libraries are forced to close, she has also pledged to work to protect libraries. “I’d love to do a libraries tour from Lands End to John O’Groats,” she said. “The children who would come to events in libraries would have been briefed beforehand so that they would come to perform something to me so the first 10 minutes of each session they might perform a class poem they had written or act out a favourite picture book. “Maybe I’ll be able to talk to the minister of culture and persuade the government to have some kind of overall plan because at the moment I feel all the library cuts and closures are very piecemeal, so I’ll do what I can,” she added. The appointment was welcomed by former children’s laureate Michael Rosen. “It’s a wonderful choice. She has written such accessible and brilliant books and she’s so clever and funny. She believes in taking her stuff out to kids, and sharing it,” he said. Donaldson is the seventh children’s laureate, taking on a role that was dreamed up by Ted Hughes, then poet laureate, and his friend Michael Morpurgo to mark a lifetime’s contribution to children’s literature and highlight the importance of children’s books. The first laureateship was awarded to illustrator Quentin Blake in 1999 and Morpurgo himself took on the role in 2003. Previous children’s laureates include the creator of Tracy Beaker Jacqueline Wilson, poet Michael Rosen and novelist Anne Fine. The winner is presented with a medal and a bursary of £15,000. The former children’s television presenter Floella Benjamin chaired the panel of judges, which included children’s book reviewers, lecturers and buyers, and the judges considered nominations from children, who could vote online, and organisations representing libraries, critics and writers. Children’s laureate Julia Donaldson Children and teenagers Children’s books: 7 and under Children’s books: 8-12 years Teen books Michelle Pauli guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 7, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.