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 room where the children’s author Julia Donaldson writes – the heart of her vast picture book empire – is down a winding staircase, in the cellar of her grand white house in Steyning, West Sussex. Her desk looks out on the street at knee height. “I’m thinking of writing a book about legs,” Donaldson said, as she showed me around the house this summer. Children from the nearby school often wave in at her as they pass. Donaldson is well known in Steyning, due to her frequent signings at the local bookshop. She and her husband, Malcolm, a retired paediatrician, recently bought the local post office to save it from closure. But elsewhere she can walk the pavement without being recognised. “I got a letter the other day for Jacqueline Wilson,” Donaldson told me. “It said: ‘You’re my favourite author!’”If you are not someone who spends much time with young children, you may only be dimly aware of Donaldson’s work – although you will probably be familiar with her most famous creation, the Gruffalo. If you have children, however, you will know her as a cultural juggernaut whose influence among children is perhaps only surpassed by the works of Disney and CBeebies. Donaldson, who is 72, has written more than 210 books: chiefly picture books, but also poetry, plays, a 60-part phonics... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-12-17 06:00:31 UTC ]
Penguin Random House Children’s has acquired the bestselling self-published title The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep after the title shot to number two in the charts last week following extensive media coverage. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bear Who Went Boo!, about a cheeky polar bear cub, will be David Walliams’ next picture book, published by HarperCollins later this year. Children’s publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh said the book, which will be released 5th November in time for Christmas, is a “deliciously funny new tale”... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quirk Books's 'Home Alone' picture book, new Star Wars Little Golden Books, Chronicle's bestsellers-to-brands initiative, Dynamite's expanding roster of licenses, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Walker Books Group will next year publish a picture book by rapper and actor Ben Bailey Smith across the Walker Entertainment and Candlewick Entertainment imprints. Smith, who raps under the name Doc Brown, has penned I Am Bear, a rap-style read-aloud story about a mischievous bear. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With 600,000 books sold, the startup Lost My Name is redefining personalization in publishing.There's no company sign or logo out front. No indication of any kind that this quiet stretch of Pritchard's Road in East London includes the headquarters of a global publishing sensation. A squat,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The jackets of last year’s big literary novels by male authors are undergoing a surprising seasonal transformationVisit your local bookshop as summer begins and you’ll invariably find last year’s big literary novels have undergone a transformation. Formerly dressed up in hardback to look like... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Entrepreneur Will Cookson has developed an app which sends people to independent bookshops when they browse on the Amazon website. Cookson, who describes himself as an entrepreneur and creative director, has invented Bookindy, an extension for the Google Chrome browser which, when downloaded,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kensal Rise Library is set to open for the first time in five years this weekend, with a community open day. The library was closed by Brent Council in 2011 and denied permission for a community library in the space, becoming a flashpoint for library campaigners, with authors such as Alan... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Capstone has acquired a picture book by Carmen Oliver, author and founder of book agency The Booking Biz. Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies was created to encourage literacy and is about a little girl called Adelaide and her reading buddy, Bear. In the story, Adelaide has to persuade her... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At 1 p.m. today in Room 1A10, “Mixed Me: A Discussion with Taye Diggs and Shane Evans” will address more than just a new picture book. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This children's book not only teaches about ecology, it practices it.Despite the rise of ebooks, most children's books are still made from trees. One new picture book is designed as a simple reminder of that fact: When kids finish reading a story about an adventure in the rainforest, they can... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Puffin is to publish a new picture book by The Very Hungry Caterpillar author Eric Carle. The Nonsense Show will celebrate surrealism, and will be published in October to coincide with US publication. Jo Hanks, editorial director at Puffin, bought UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin again features on a list of books to have received the most complaints from library users. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2015-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rob Biddulph was today (26th March) announced as the overall winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, as well as the best illustrated book category. Biddulph, who is also the art director of the Observer magazine, won the prize for Blown Away (HarperCollins Children’s Books), about a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A “scratch and sniff” front cover for The Twits and more details about Jacqueline Wilson’s reworking of What Katy Did Next were some of the highlights of a Penguin Random House Children’s showcase, held yesterday (25th March) at Foyles Charing Cross. The event was the first media... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Customers are being encouraged to help ensure their local bookshop is crowned the Independent Bookshop of the Year by tweeting their support. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Patterson remains the most borrowed author in UK libraries for the eighth year running, according to data released today (13th February) by the Public Lending Right (PLR). Daisy Meadows holds firm in second place, while fellow children’s authors Julia Donaldson and Francesca Simon remain... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little Tiger has acquired The First Slodge, the new picture book by author Jeanne Willis and illustrator Jenni Desmond. “We constantly look to diversify the Little Tiger list, and create surprising and inspiring picture books,” said publisher Jude Evans. “Jeanne’s text for The First Slodge... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How can the digital age use the tried-and-true concept of a picture book to create something new and wonderful for children? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Take a peek inside 'Julia, Child,' a new picture book that draws inspiration from the energy and spirit of Julia Child as it explores the friendship of two young gastronomes. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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