Photo: Christoph Rieger / CC0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
I hold Julia Donaldson in the kind of esteem usually reserved for songwriters, because that is what she really is: her picture books scan like lyrics, and children respond to the rhythm before they can even follow the plot. The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom have survived thousands of bedtime repetitions in households worldwide, and surviving repetition is the harshest quality test in all of literature. Her term as Children's Laureate and her honors feel almost beside the point; the real award is being the first author millions of kids ever memorize. To me she is living proof that writing simply is the hardest writing of all.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Julia Donaldson
- Name (Japanese)
- ジュリア・ドナルドソン
- Reading
- じゅりあ・どなるどそん
- Born
- September 16, 1948 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Rat
- Origin
- Greater London, United Kingdom
- Occupation
- writer / playwright / author / children's writer / singer-songwriter
2. Background
- University
- University of Bristol
Awards & achievements
- Member of the Order of the British Empire
- 1999 Nestlé Children's Book Prize
- 2003 Kiddo Leespluim
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- 2018 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Gruffalo | — | |
| Notable work | Monkey Puzzle | — | |
| Notable work | Room on the Broom | — | |
| Notable work | The Snail and the Whale | — | |
| Notable work | The Gruffalo's Child | — |
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia%20Donaldson
Frequently asked questions
When was Julia Donaldson born?
Born September 16, 1948 (age 77).
Where is Julia Donaldson from?
Julia Donaldson is from Greater London, United Kingdom.
What does Julia Donaldson do?
Julia Donaldson works as writer, playwright, author, children's writer, singer-songwriter.
What is Julia Donaldson known for?
Notable works include The Gruffalo, Monkey Puzzle, Room on the Broom.
Writer — see all → · Playwright — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-10
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.