Projects

Find out about Julia Donaldson's Children's Laureate projects

Julia's main priorities during her two years as Laureate will be performance, stories for deaf children and supporting and celebrating public libraries.

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 song-writing, 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. At this year’s Edinburgh Book Festival I will be doing an event with two other writers where we will help ten-year-olds to dramatise our stories and then perform them to younger children. I hope to do more such events, and also to encourage children to write their own songs and playscripts.

'Another area I plan to involve myself in is stories for deaf children. This is partly because I have a hearing problem myself, and also because I’m fascinated by sign language (even though I’ve never learnt it) and love to watch stories being acted out so expressively by signers.

'I will also be vociferous in the campaign to promote libraries and halt the cuts and closures which as I see as so damaging to our children and their future. I’m proud to be the first laureate based in Scotland, and am kicking off with a visit to Whithorn Library which is celebrating its hundredth anniversary but is under the axe...

So drama, music, stories for deaf children, libraries, and continuity – these feel... like my 'big things'; and they’re all linked to the 'biggest thing' of all – the pleasure and richness to be gained from reading.'