November 29, 2017

A Song, a Feminist Princess, and a Conversation with Julia Donaldson

17 minutes

This week, we're talking (and singing!) with Julia Donaldson, the 2011-2013 Children's Laureate in the UK and the author of more than 140 books for children including The Gruffalo, Stick Man, and most recently, Zog and the Flying Doctors.

In this episode, Julia and her husband, Malcolm, share part of their song "Zog and the Flying Doctors," and Julia talks with us about her passion for storytelling, her love of libraries, and why she decided to write a feminist princess.

Resources:

Learn more about Julia Donaldson

Learn more about Zog and the Flying Doctors

Watch Julia Donaldson perform her song "A Squash and a Squeeze"

Guest:

Julia Donaldson has over 140 titles to her credit. Her work includes critically acclaimed titles such as Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale, The Princess and the Wizard, The Dinosaur's Diary, and The Giants and the Joneses. Julia came from a musical background. Her father played the cello and her mother loved to sing. Julia and her sister were in a Children's Opera Group and from an early age, she wrote musical plays for her friends and family to perform. Her first book, A Squash and a Squeeze, was based on one of her television songs. "It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did," says Julia. She lives with her family in Glasgow, Scotland.

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