Snails, whales and spooky tales: the best books on TV this Christmas
From Julia Donaldson to MR James and Dickens, John Mullan picks the best adaptations to watch this festive seasonWhen it comes to literary adaptations, this year the supernatural has exerted its grip....
View ArticleBritish Book awards balance art and selling power to decide best writer in 30...
Novelists rub shoulders with presidents, chefs, comedians and thriller megastars on longlist to define the title with the biggest impact on the book worldIt could be almost the setup for a joke, but a...
View ArticleStay in your cave: the Gruffalo lends a claw to the coronavirus effort
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s characters step up to help children through crisisCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWho has terrible tusks and terrible claws, purple...
View Article'Gruffalo stayed in the cave': Axel Scheffler and Julia Donaldson's...
The creators of the Gruffalo have produced a series of cartoons to encourage people to stay home during the crisisContinue reading...
View ArticleHow Julia Donaldson conquered the world, one rhyme at a time
She published her first book in her 40s and became the biggest selling author of the past decade in any genre – The Gruffalo alone has sold 13m copies. How did this former busker make it so big?The...
View ArticleBookish fun on TV and radio to enjoy this Christmas
There is plenty for everyone to enjoy, including Zog and the Flying Doctors, a Bridget Jones documentary and an Upstart Crow Christmas special Remember when it was a treat that everything was shut,...
View ArticleThe times they are a-changing | Brief letters
Severn Bridge and Bob Dylan | Where are the redwings? | Food scarcity | Julia Donaldson | Astrology | No more Vic MarksThe Severn Bridge (Local politicians row over renaming of Severn Bridge, 22...
View ArticleBroom to Zoom: Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler launch new Covid tales
The author and illustrator of Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo have released more images showing their classic characters contending with the pandemic“Iggety, ziggety, zaggety, ZOOM,” says the witch...
View ArticleHow Julia Donaldson conquered the world, one rhyme at a time – podcast
She published her first book in her 40s and became the biggest selling author of the past decade in any genre – The Gruffalo alone has sold 13m copies. How did this former busker make it so big? By...
View ArticleOscars release first shortlists for 2021 Academy Awards
Boys State, MLK/FBI and Crip Camp among contenders as categories announced include best documentary and best international filmShortlists for nine Oscar categories have been unveiled by the Academy of...
View ArticleChildren’s laureates campaign for £100m a year to fix primary school libraries
Current laureate Cressida Cowell leads demands to ringfence funds to renew ‘deteriorating’ facilities that fail to appeal to studentsAll of the UK’s children’s laureates, including Cressida Cowell,...
View ArticleChildren’s authors on Eric Carle: ‘He created readers as voracious as that...
Authors from Julia Donaldson to Cressida Cowell pay tribute to the beloved author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, who has died aged 91The late Eric Carle has been hailed by fellow children’s writers...
View ArticleBehind the scenes of The Smartest Giant in Town – in pictures
A musical production of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s children’s book The Smartest Giant in Town is opening at the Little Angel theatre in Islington, north London. Guardian photographer David...
View ArticleThe Smartest Giant in Town review – a very tall tale
Little Angel theatre, LondonNutty animals and witty puppetry liven up this at times bleak version of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s picture bookThe Little Angel Theatre celebrates its 60th...
View ArticleJulia Donaldson reveals tussle over opening couplet of Superworm
Author backed down over publisher’s concerns about potentially embarrassing misinterpretationsLiterature is open to many interpretations, but as the former children’s laureate Julia Donaldson...
View ArticleJulia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler on saving Christmas: ‘We don’t usually...
The Gruffalo creators are back with Superworm, their ninth festive special – that’s one more than Eric and Ernie. The Christmas TV royalty talk tinkering with Olivia Colman’s script … and the perils of...
View Article‘At first she didn’t like my drawings’: Axel Scheffler and Julia Donaldson on...
In a rare joint interview, the creators of The Gruffalo talk about baddies, Brexit – and the bumpy beginning to their partnershipJulia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler– the John Lennon and Paul McCartney...
View ArticleTop 10 books about freedom | Adam Wagner
Authors as radically different as Julia Donaldson, John Rawls and Ayn Rand can make us appreciate the value of freedom, and the terrible jeopardy of losing itEveryone has a different idea of freedom....
View ArticleJulia Donaldson ends James Patterson’s reign as UK libraries’ most borrowed...
Data shows that Patterson’s 14-year run as readers’ overall favourite has given way to the Gruffalo authorCrime writer James Patterson’s long-running streak as the most borrowed author in UK libraries...
View ArticleDon’t write what you know, write what you feel: bestselling authors offer...
Malorie Blackman advises budding authors to pick up on news stories, but Julia Donaldson warns of pitfalls – and Alan Moore says you should read terrible books as well as good onesThe key to being a...
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