Donaldson has also performed jointly with her illustrators, particularly Axel Scheffler and Lydia Monks. She has performed the Donaldson/Scheffler books not only in English but also in German on several tours and at the Berlin Festival. In 2007, when Malcolm took a sabbatical from his job, he joined Julia on a World Tour, acting and singing in Bermuda, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and America.

Julia Donaldson Books | The Works Julia Donaldson Books | The Works

Elizabeth worked as a part-time secretary and helped her boss, Leslie Minchin, translate German lieder into English. It was a household of music and song: Elizabeth sang with the Hampstead Choral Society, Jerry played the cello in amateur string quartets, and both parents were active members of the Hampstead Music Club. Summer holidays were at Grittleton House in Wiltshire, where Jerry played his cello in a summer school for chamber music, while Julia and Mary romped around and put on musical shows with the other children. I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married. Poetry also featured strongly in Donaldson's early life; she was given The Book of a Thousand Poems by her father when she was five years old, and her grandmother introduced her to Edward Lear’s nonsense rhymes. Donaldson attended New End Primary School and then Camden School for Girls. During her childhood and adolescence she acted (understudying the fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Old Vic where she made the acquaintance of a young Judi Dench and Tom Courtenay), sang with the Children's Opera Group, and learned the piano.A little old lady lives all by herself in her house but she's not happy - it's just too small, even for one. Whatever can she do? The wise old man knows: bring in a flappy, scratchy, greedy, noisy crowd of farmyard animals. When she pushes them all out again, she'll be amazed at how big her house feels! In 1995, while looking for ideas for an educational series of plays based on traditional tales, Donaldson came across a version of a Chinese story about a little girl who escapes being eaten by a tiger by claiming to be the fearsome Queen of the Jungle and inviting him to walk behind her. The tiger misinterprets the terror of the various animals they meet as being related to her rather than him, and flees. Donaldson sensed that this story could be developed into more than an educational item and returned to it later as a possible basis for a picture book. She decided to make the girl a mouse, and chose a fox, owl and snake as woodland rather than jungle creatures but wasn't satisfied with lines like "They ought to know, they really should / There aren't any tigers in this wood". Donaldson composed two musicals for children: King Grunt's Cake (1976) and Pirate on the Pier (1980) which she and a small cast performed both in London and Brighton. Influenced by their Bristol Street Theatre experience, Donaldson ran a Saturday-morning workshop for children in Portslade from 1974 to 1976. During these sessions a simple play would be devised, followed by making of props and costumes, rehearsal and then a performance. In 1983 the family of four moved to Bristol where Malcolm Donaldson was appointed as Senior Registrar in Paediatrics to United Bristol Hospitals. By then the television writing had dried up and the folk scene had waned. Julia Donaldson wrote and sang a few topical songs for adult radio programmes (including one about the Guinness Distillers take-over bid, which appeared on Financial World Tonight), did occasional amateur acting and street theatre, and wrote the songs for the Kingsdown community play Nine Trees Shade. She also became a volunteer in Hamish's primary school, hearing the children read aloud. She devised short plays with the right number of parts for a reading group, rotating the roles until each child had read the whole play. The piece would then be performed to the entire class. This approach seemed to build confidence in reading aloud as well as being enjoyable, and Donaldson stored the plays in a drawer for possible future use. The Rhyming Rabbit loves to make up entertaining poems, inspired by everything he sees, but the other rabbits don't appreciate his talent for rhyme. Sad and lonely, the Rhyming Rabbit sets off one starry night all on his own - will he ever find someone to share his poems with?

Tiddler: book and CD : Donaldson, Julia, Scheffler, Axel

Read all about Tiddler’s tales, enjoy the detailed illustrations by Axel Scheffler and join Tiddler’s under-the-sea fun! Sharing a Shell is a charming underwater tale of friendship and fun from the stellar picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, creators of What the Ladybird Heard. With brilliant rhythmic verse, bright and distinctive illustrations, this is a firm favourite with children and parents alike.Children’s shows make me smile, this one made me CONTINUALLY GRIN. A children’s treat that adults too can guiltlessly enjoy.’ A Younger Theatre Julia Donaldson is always reliable to tell a fun rhyming tale and Axel Schefflers wonderful illustrations makes this another enjoyable children's book for bed time.

Tiddler by Julia Donaldson | Goodreads

I love that this is an animal story but this time underwater. It’s nice seeing different water animals. The illustrations here are again fun to look at but this time I noticed that some of them look human like, which I personally find a bit weird to look at. Not sure If it’s intended to be like that or not. As the centuries sweep by, children play games around the tree. Families dance about it. A fleeing king even hides inside its hollow trunk! George is the scruffiest giant in town, so he buys a new outfit to smarten himself up. On the way home, however, he meets others who are in greater need of his clothes than he is... Donaldson has also written a phonic reading scheme of short stories comprising 60 books of Songbird Phonics, published by Oxford University Press. [7] An hour-long feast of storytelling that thrills children and parents alike. A MASTERPIECE.’ Broadway Baby

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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. Brings such joy to children and adults alike. The show was so captivating that no one wanted to miss a moment' The Spy in the Stalls a b "Julia Donaldson". Desert Island Discs. 15 November 2009. BBC Radio 4 . Retrieved 18 January 2014. A delight from start to finish. A room of children laughing hysterically, all totally mesmerised by the action.' Time Out It may only be a tiddler, but this show has a big heart and is BRIMMING WITH INVENTIVENESS.’ A Younger Theatre

Tiddler - Julia Donaldson

Join Superworm on his next adventure with this fantastic activity book based on the bestselling book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.If you’re looking to introduce your children to reading there’s no better place to start than with a Julia Donaldson book. We’ve pulled together some frequently asked questions to help steer you in the right direction. This edition features the classic story with a stunning, redesigned cover and beautiful finish, making it a must-have addition to the bookshelves of all Donaldson and Scheffler fans – big and small! Such a fabulous book! The story is woven together brilliantly. Tiddler is a regular read in our house