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 ]
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In a virtual meet-up, "Almost Home" author Fanny Singer and mother and famed chef Alice Waters join book club readers April 21 for a kitchen conversation. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-07 20:33:16 UTC ]
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The bestselling crime novelist plans a virtual book tour for his new title, "Broken," as the coronavirus keeps him home in Southern California. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-07 15:00:38 UTC ]
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I woke early this morning in the coronatime in which we all now exist - the brief respite of sleep ruined yet again by the inevitable jolt of reality. It was, I believe, 7am. My phone buzzed with a text message from my bank, informing me that my account was in arrears. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-06 01:18:34 UTC ]
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Julia Alvarez's "Afterlife" is her first novel for adults in 15 years. She talks about loss, fragmentation and "American Dirt." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-02 22:24:09 UTC ]
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In remarkable moments throughout history, news organizations have been there to inform the masses and accurately chronicle what’s happening for posterity’s sake. This is a responsibility TIME magazine has been devoted to for 97 years. The news magazine was a trusted source during The Great... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2020-04-02 15:20:28 UTC ]
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The Reading Agency has confirmed the UK's World Book Night celebrations will go ahead on 23rd April, but will be modified due to Covid-19. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-02 06:54:47 UTC ]
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Wizarding World of Harry Potter introduces Harry Potter at Home, a new collection of free resources for readers and educators. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-01 17:06:24 UTC ]
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J K Rowling and her Wizarding World partners have announced three new initiatives under the banner Harry Potter At Home, to help children, parents, carers and teachers who are at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-01 16:21:07 UTC ]
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Kawai Strong Washburn’s debut novel envisions an archipelago of Indigenous peoples who refuse to be erased. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-03-31 12:43:39 UTC ]
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The four siblings central to Freeman’s book, a history of a 20th-century Jewish family as much as a memoir, were outsized characters. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-30 21:52:58 UTC ]
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It's no surprise that as Americans across the country are being told to stay home or shelter in place, national television usage is up. But new data from Nielsen shows that kids are spending considerably more time in front of the television than other audience demos--and many of them are playing... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2020-03-27 17:50:19 UTC ]
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Ruff makes his adventures fashioned from electrons and bytes read as authentically as any naturalism. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-27 16:56:00 UTC ]
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With baseball on hiatus, Jesse Dougherty lets fans relive the team’s improbable run. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-27 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Join author Steph Cha and Joe Ide for a streaming conversation about new L.A. noir. The March 30 event will be live. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-03-25 19:15:02 UTC ]
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We’ve already brought your attention to the ways you can help bookstores (and bookstore workers) during the coronavirus pandemic, and here’s another one: a collective of recently laid-off booksellers has started an online storefront at Bookshop.org (in case you missed it, Bookshop is the new... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-25 15:14:23 UTC ]
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The fourth annual On Air Fest, held earlier this month in Brooklyn, prominently featured a number of figures and institutions from the book world, reflecting a growing publishing and literary presence in the podcast sector. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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As part of a new virtual book club, publisher Sharmaine Lovegrove will be in conversation with a Dialogue author about their book on Instagram live every Thursday at 8 p.m. for the next 10 weeks. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-23 22:24:25 UTC ]
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Waterstones Children's Laureate Cressida Cowell has launched a digital hub with reading charity BookTrust to keep youngsters busy while schools are closed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-22 17:38:05 UTC ]
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Today we face, as a trade, as businesses and as humans, an unparalleled challenge in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus, Covid-19, across the country and worldwide. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-20 12:12:30 UTC ]
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On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 18, 2020 I stood in an empty bookstore and cried. A friend had just sent a congratulatory text with a picture from the April issue of Alta Magazine. My wife and I were interviewed a few months ago for a profile of Point Reyes Books, the bookstore we’ve owned […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-20 08:49:38 UTC ]
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