Julia Donaldson webchat, Wednesday 28 August, 9-10pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We're thrilled that acclaimed author and former Children's Laureate Julia Donaldson is our webchat guest on Wed 28 August.

A Squash and a Squeeze, The Gruffalo, Zog, Room on the Broom, Tiddler and a host of other best-loved books have endeared her to countless children.

Her latest book is The Further Adventures of The Owl and the Pussy-cat, in which she revisits Edward Lear's favourite rhyme, with beautiful illustrations by Charlotte Voake.

So, if you're a fan, please grab a glass or a cuppa and come and chat to Julia about her writing at 9pm on Wednesday.

And if you can't make the webchat itself, do post a question in advance.

As a taster, , and her husband Malcolm, singing their brand new Owl and the Pussy-cat song. (There are on-screen lyrics if you want to use it as a sing-a-long with little 'uns.)

[JuliaDonaldson]

@highlandbird

Another fan of your books here who just wanted to say thank you so so much for making reading to my son a pleasure! He is 2 and a half but we have been reading your books for over a year, our favourites are what the ladybird heard, squash and a squeeze, snail and the whale and more recently the singing mermaid and tabby mctat. He likes me to read the same story over and over and with your books I really don't mind, we also like that there's always something new to find in the illustrations, I think your stories go very well with the illustrations used and I would also like to hear how closely you work with the illustrators.
Also, do you have a favourite book you like to read to your grandchildren?
Thank you again, looking forward to reading your new book, we love the original.

Thanks for your lovely comments. My grandchildren started off with the books illustrated by Nick Sharratt, such as GOAT GOES TO PLAYGROUP and TODDLE WADDLE. He's a brilliant illustrator for very young ones.

[JuliaDonaldson]

@MishMoshi

Hello, my daughter loves your books. I especially like Zog as it helps counter the princess message little girls are force fed these days. You may have heard of the Let Toys Be Toys campaign who started on here, they want retailers to stop promoting toys as gender specific - one of the things they found was that the Gruffalo is often promoted as a 'boys' item. What would you say to retailers who do this?

I think it's a shame if retailers see THE GRUFFALO as purely a boys' book. And THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD certainly has a big female following (she is a plucky little girl Gruffalo.)

[SquidgyMummy]

Hi Julia,
My 2.10 year loves "Room on the Broom" and luckily so do I as i read it to him every night.

On a slightly less flippant note, it has really helped him with his speech as he is a bit behind with expressive speech.

Do you have specific educational aims when you are writing your books, or do you just write witty verse purely to entertain all your fans?

[SPBisResisting]

Hi Julia, we're big fans of your books here, adults and children.
My question is do you consider yourself a feminist? I love Zog, and insist on reading it to my two whenever I feel overwhelmed by the pink princess /weak women stuff.

[JuliaDonaldson]

@SquidgyMummy

Hi Julia,
My 2.10 year loves "Room on the Broom" and luckily so do I as i read it to him every night.

On a slightly less flippant note, it has really helped him with his speech as he is a bit behind with expressive speech.

Do you have specific educational aims when you are writing your books, or do you just write witty verse purely to entertain all your fans?

I don't have any educational aims when I'm writing the picture-book texts. But I have written a series of phonic books (called Songbirds) and also a series called Plays to Read, which are specifically designed to help children read with expression.

[JuliaDonaldson]

@AnneEyhtMeyer

Just wanted to say thank you for making reading to DD so much fun. She loves all your books, and is delighted that one of your books is about someone with her name!

As well as engendering a love of books your stories have also made DD a fan of the theatre - we have been to see several adaptations locally.

From a personal perspective thank you for reminding me how much I loved the Highwayman poem - one of my favourites at school and I love that DD now has her "own version"!

It must be great to make so many people smile.

Thank you! I loved The Highwayman poem by Alfred Noyes when I was at school too, and tried to use that rhythm when I wrote THE HIGHWAY RAT.

[AllSWornOut]

In the same vein as the feminist questions, but not a question as I've already asked mine (!), I was very when I realised that in the publicity for a Christmas showing of the Gruffalo's Child here in France, they clearly called the Child a "he". Such unthinking sexism

I've not read the book in French (and didn't in the end see the film) so I don't know if the translation is correct.

I have read "A Squash and a Squeeze" in German (actually the first one of your books that I read) and the translation is excellent - I prefer it to the English version!

[TheHandbagOfGlory]

I just wanted to say a very heartfelt thank you for your books. My DS is very quiet and doesn't open up to people much but his school had literacy week where his primary 1 class concentrated on your books. He loves A Squash and a Squeeze and Monkey Puzzle and when they did these in class he suddenly spoke up for the first time in class and there has been no stopping him since.

So thank you, you have such a difference to my little boy.

[MmeLindor]

Hello Julia,

I saw an interview with you and Axel and you mentioned setting 'Room on a Broom' in the sky because Axel complained about drawing so many trees on the previous books, to which he replied that he found something else to complain about.

It made me laugh a lot, because my husband is German, and he is similarly direct and a bit of a complainer so I wondered if it was just a German trait. :)

Do you find a difference between UK illustrators, and those from other countries?

[JuliaDonaldson]

@indyandlara

We love your books and came to see you at the Edinburgh Book Festival this month. My daughter was desperate to meet you and was delighted when you looked at her paper dolls. Thank you for doing for younger children what JK Rowling has done for older kids. You make reading cool! Oh and we adore the Gruffalo in Scots!

THE PAPER DOLLS is one of my own favourites, and I have to say that I love the way my husband reads it aloud at book festivals. Did you know that there's currently an attempt to break the Guinness book of Records for the longest ever chain of paper dolls? (You can look on Google to find the website.)

[Vijac]

How long have you been writing books and did you study English?

[ktlq]

Hi, what's your favourite book and which books inspired you to become a writer when you were growing up?

I'd love to know how you got into the writing game or if you have always written, maybe I need to read your biography!

All the best, what a great feeling it must be to know the effects your work has on young children!

Katie

[JuliaDonaldson]

@MmeLindor

Hello Julia,

I saw an interview with you and Axel and you mentioned setting 'Room on a Broom' in the sky because Axel complained about drawing so many trees on the previous books, to which he replied that he found something else to complain about.

It made me laugh a lot, because my husband is German, and he is similarly direct and a bit of a complainer so I wondered if it was just a German trait. :)

Do you find a difference between UK illustrators, and those from other countries?

I think there is a "European" style (and Axel is quite European) but it's hard to put a finger on it. Certainly some UK illustrators are popular in Europe while others do better in the States.

[Blatherskite]

I just googled "Plays to Read" and found nothing

[JuliaDonaldson]

@ktlq

Hi, what's your favourite book and which books inspired you to become a writer when you were growing up?

I'd love to know how you got into the writing game or if you have always written, maybe I need to read your biography!

All the best, what a great feeling it must be to know the effects your work has on young children!

Katie

I got into book-writing through being a song-writer (for children's TV mostly.) My first book, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was initially a song.

[JuliaDonaldson]

@TheHandbagOfGlory

I just wanted to say a very heartfelt thank you for your books. My DS is very quiet and doesn't open up to people much but his school had literacy week where his primary 1 class concentrated on your books. He loves A Squash and a Squeeze and Monkey Puzzle and when they did these in class he suddenly spoke up for the first time in class and there has been no stopping him since.

So thank you, you have such a difference to my little boy.

That is very touching. Thanks so much for telling me about your little boy.

[highlandbird]

Thank you for your reply Julia! We haven't read those books so we'll look them up.
All the best with your new book, look forward to reading with my sons for years to come!

[SquidgyMummy]

Thanks Julia, that is very helpful (I have Songbirds now open in another tab on Amazon)

Will be ordering this evening!!

[FannyFifer]

Did you enjoy Tiddler on Monday?

[SucksFake]

All of us love your books in this house; I think we each have a different favourite.

I especially love Zog, mainly because of Princess Pearl.

Who is your favourite character out of all those you have brought to life?

[JuliaDonaldson]

@LilyBolero

(I wish there was an edit function on here) - just to add, one of the reasons we love Mirrorbelle is because it is almost uniquely, a story for girls (and boys) with a girl/princess who ISN'T all pink, fluffy, fairy-wings. As dd is none of those things either, it was great to find stories that weren't all 'Rainbow Fairy' types (if you know what I mean!).

I'm always delighted when people like the Mirror-Belle books which as you say aren't at all girly. They're the stories I most enjoyed writing, and were inspired by my oldest son's imaginary friend Sammy who lived in the mirror.

[JuliaDonaldson]

@SucksFake

All of us love your books in this house; I think we each have a different favourite.

I especially love Zog, mainly because of Princess Pearl.

Who is your favourite character out of all those you have brought to life?

[AnneEyhtMeyer]

I know I have already asked my question and been answered, but wanted to also thank you for the Songbirds books - absolutely fantastic!

As someone who was taught to read using whole word recognition I find them so much easier to use with DD to explain phonic sounds than other reading schemes.

[JuliaDonaldson]

@JuliaDonaldson

[quote SucksFake]
All of us love your books in this house; I think we each have a different favourite.

I especially love Zog, mainly because of Princess Pearl.

Who is your favourite character out of all those you have brought to life?

[/quote]

The character I most enjoy acting on stage is the sheep from THE RHYMING RABBIT. (I do her with my attempt at a Welsh accent!)

[JuliaDonaldson]

@FannyFifer

Did you enjoy Tiddler on Monday?

I think that TIDDLER AND OTHER TERIFFIC TALES is a wonderful show (by the company Scamp who also brought STICK MAN to the stage.) They are so energetic and creative.