Sing as well as read
Did you know that before she started writing books, Julia Donaldson was a songwriter? While Children's Laureate, she continued to promote telling stories with rhythm and rhyme.
When the words to one of one of her songs, 'A Squash and a Squeeze', was made into a book in 1993, Julia Donaldson turned her hands to writing children's books for the very first time.
She often writes songs to go along with her books, some of which are published in her songbooks The Gruffalo Song and Other Songs and Room and the Broom and Other Songs.
In June 2011, Julia wrote in her first post for the Children's Laureate blog:
'Two of my great passions are for drama and music. Having come to book-writing via songwriting, I often write in verse, and the sound of the words is as important to me as their sense. I’ve always enjoyed performing my own stories and songs, and have observed how most children also love acting and singing, which do wonders for their self-confidence.'