A new Laureate book, Flights of Fancy, was published, with all ten Laureates contributing their wisdom. We also asked them to write a letter reflecting back on their time in the role. Read each Laureate’s letter below.
Celebrating 20 years of the Waterstones Children's Laureate
In 2019, we reached a milestone: the 20th anniversary of the Waterstones Children’s Laureateship in the UK.
Waterstones Children’s Laureates drawn by Chris Riddell: from Flights of Fancy (Walker Books)
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Flights of Fancy: Stories, Pictures and Inspiration from Ten Children’s Laureates
by Quentin Blake, Anne Fine, Michael Morpurgo, Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Rosen, Julia Donaldson, Anthony Browne, Malorie Blackman, Chris Riddell and Lauren Child
2019 5 to 14 years
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Quentin Blake, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 1999–2001: ‘I had the ambition to get illustration alongside works of fine art.’
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Anne Fine, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2001-03: ‘I would not have missed the opportunity the Laureateship offered me.’
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Sir Michael Morpurgo, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2003-05: ‘I tried to encourage [children] to read and write their own stories, to convince them that everyone has a story to tell.’
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Jacqueline Wilson, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2005-07: ‘I tried to go to some unusual venues to meet children who weren’t necessarily keen readers.’
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Michael Rosen, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2007-09: ‘When I was Children’s Laureate, my main focus was on fun and poetry.’
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Anthony Browne, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2009-11: ‘Wherever I went, I talked about being the Children’s Laureate, and about the importance of creativity, visual literacy and picture books.’
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Julia Donaldson, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2011–13: ‘Performance, stories for deaf children, and libraries – these were all my “big things”.’
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Malorie Blackman, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2013–15: ‘I was a spokesperson promoting reading for pleasure, especially for our teens.’
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Chris Riddell, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2015–17: ‘I visited as many libraries as I could and mentioned school libraries and librarians and the vital work they do whenever I was interviewed’.
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Lauren Child, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2017–19: ‘I believe that books, illustration and stories can profoundly change a child’s life.’