Prior to creating some of the most famous characters in modern children’s literature Julia worked for a few years in publishing and as a teacher. She would be writing and performing songs and street theatre with her husband Malcolm Donaldson, before eventually combining her passions into a career in writing songs for children’s television.
Eventually, one of these songs was turned into a book, A Squash and a Squeeze. Since then, she has written over a hundred books and plays for children and teenagers, but it was in 1999, when the award-winning story The Gruffalo was published, that Julia became recognised as the best-loved children’s writer of her time. Her partnership with illustrator Axel Scheffler has produced the UK’s best-selling and award-winning picture books, including Room on the Broom, Tiddler, Zog and Stick Man, and have all been adapted into animated TV movies, plays and even an amusement park ride at Chessington.
Julia has also worked with different illustrators, among them Lydia Monks, Nick Sharratt and David Roberts, and has written several fiction, young adult and educational titles. She still loves to compose songs and has produced singing books accompanied with audio, and her live events heavily feature musical performances.
She was awarded a CBE in 2019 for her services to Children’s Literature.
