Biography
Julia Donaldson CBE (born Julia Catherine Shields; born 16 September 1948) is an English writer, playwright and performer, and the 2011–2013 Children's Laureate. She is best known for her popular rhyming stories for children, especially those illustrated by Axel Scheffler, which include The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and Stick Man. She originally wrote songs for children's television but has concentrated on writing books since the words of one of her songs, "A Squash and a Squeeze", were made into a children's book in 1993. Of her 184 published works, 64 are widely available in bookshops. The remaining 120 are intended for school use and include her Songbirds phonic reading scheme, which is part of the Oxford University Press's Oxford Reading Tree.
Awards & recognition
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature · 2018
- Kiddo Leespluim · 2003
- Nestlé Children's Book Prize · 1999
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Member of the Order of the British Empire
Show all 9 awards →
- Carnegie Medal · 2010 · nominated
- Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award · 2009 · nominated
- Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award · 2008 · nominated
- Nestlé Children's Book Prize · 1999 · nominated
Filmography11 titles
The Gruffalo
The Smeds and the Smoos
The Gruffalo's Child
Zog
Stick Man
The Snail and the Whale
Room on the Broom
Zog and the Flying Doctors
Great British Menu
Superworm
The Highway Rat