I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).

Julia Donaldson has written some of the world's best-loved children's books, including modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, which together have sold over 25 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over one hundred languages. Captivating, full of opportunities for giggles and even a story for the bigger children… (yes adults that’s you!)With Julia Donaldson’s (author of The Gruffalo) trademark quirky humour and rhyming text and Axel Scheffler’s detailed illustrations, there are lots of fun things to spot as you read and reread the text. Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta. Of course, the little mouse saves the day and rids the woods of our pesky villains, and we all sleep more soundly at night. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments Julia also writes fiction, including the Princess Mirror-Belle series, illustrated by Lydia Monks, as well as poems, plays and songs – and her brilliant live shows are always in demand.

LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs. Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - Your child will giggle their way through this comic tale of three very bad, silly, and completely hopeless storybook characters who dare each other to steal a hanky-chief from a young girl walking through their woods.She was the UK Children’s Laureate 2011–13 and has been honoured with a CBE for Services to Literature. I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married. When a little girl moves into a nearby cottage, the Baddies can’t wait to scare her out of her wits. First sentence: There once lived a troll and a ghost and a witch. They were horrible baddies all three. They never said sorry or thank you or please, and their hearts were as hard as could be.

A great little book from the author of The Gruffalo. A group of monsters try to take on a clever young girl and all of them fail. The Baddies are the meanest, nastiest ghost, witch and troll in the land. They just adore being bad, and fight over who is the worst. You have to understand that when I see a new Julia Donaldson picture book, I'm am fully prepared to be blown away by her story. The woman is a genius!!! The latest offering from the A Team in picture books - Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. This one focuses on a trios of 'baddies' who aren't really good at being bad. They try their best but it's just not good (or bad) enough. The girl in the story is either unaware or just not at all bothered by their attempts to scare her. Instead, the Baddies all just look rather ridiculous. One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.Brief summary: A troll, ghost, and witch are baddies who enjoy being bad and bragging about it. A girl moves into a nearby cottage. The baddies devise different ways to scare her but are unsuccessful as she shows them kindness and understanding. Premise/plot: Three villains or "baddies" scheme to steal a little girl's handkerchief. Will any of them succeed? My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes. Published just in time for Halloween, I had great hopes for this story featuring a ghost and a witch (and a troll).