Julia Donaldson, the 2011-2013 Children's Laureate, is the prize-winning author of the world's most-loved picture books including The Gruffalo and What the Ladybird Heard.
The Gruffalo, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is now a children's classic; celebrating 20 years in 2019, selling over 3 million copies worldwide. It was voted Great Britain's favourite bedtime story on BBC Radio 2 and was adapted and broadcast as an animation on BBC 1 on Christmas Day 2009. The Gruffalo's Child and Room on the Broom are now also films, with Room on the Broom shortlisted for an Academy Award.