Nursery World - Interview – best-selling children's author Julia Donaldson

The bestselling children’s author and poet of more than 200 books – includingThe Gruffalo, Room on the Broom andSuperworm – has had many of her lyrical, rhyming stories made into animations and regularly performs her books on tour at festivals and theatres, including recently at the Edinburgh Fringe. She was the Children’s Laureate between 2011 and 2013 and honoured with a CBE in 2018 for services to literature.

Julia Donaldson (c) Steve Ullathorne

YOU’VE RECENTLY PUBLISHED AN ANTHOLOGY OF ACTION RHYMES FOR BABIES AND VERY YOUNG CHILDREN, ROCK-A-BYE RUMPUS, ILLUSTRATED BY SéBASTIEN BRAUN, GATHERED FROM YOUR OWN CHILDHOOD THROUGH TO BECOMING A GRANDMOTHER. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT POETRY AND SHARING SONGS AND ACTION RHYMES ARE SO IMPORTANT IN THE EARLY YEARS?

I thought it would be nice to do a collection concentrating on action rhymes and poems that children can join in with, partly because I think there are so many traditional rhymes that are in danger of being forgotten.

The book is split into different sections. It starts with just rocking the baby, then there is jiggling and then pointing to the face and counting of fingers and toes. It goes on to another section with walking rhymes where the child can toddle about. There are suggestions of activities that people can do in nurseries and playgrounds. The poems also reflect the child’s day, rounding off with supper time and bath time.

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