Gruffalo's Mommy is Crowned Children's Laureate

Julia Donaldson, who is known by millions of children the world over as

the creator of the Gruffalo has been appointed the new children's laureate.

Donaldson takes 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 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," she said. "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." 

Donaldson, who is so clever and funny, has written 120 books for various age groups. But her unwavering superstar is the outwardly ferocious Gruffalo, written in deceptively simple verse with illustrations by Axel Scheffler.

With only 700 words across 32 pages, the tale of an anxious mouse struggling to keep his courage up and a cowardly monster was instantly recognised as a classic. It has won several awards and has now sold more than 10.5 million copies and been translated into languages including Polish, Hebrew, Lithuanian and Russian.

The sequel, The Gruffalo's Child, won a best children's book award in 2005 and the original was voted the best bedtime story of all time by BBC radio listeners in 2009. The Gruffalo has recently sparked a multimillion pound merchandising operation on a scale that gives Paddington Bear a run for his money.

You can find a range of Julia Donaldson’s books at www.imagikids.co.za

Happy Reading :)