Julia Donaldson was born on the 16th September 1948 in London. She grew up in Hampstead, London with her parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffery. 

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Before Julia Donaldson wrote books, she wrote songs for children's television shows. She became an author in 1993 when one of her songs 'A Squash and a Squeeze' was made into a book. 

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In 2011- 2013 she was chosen to be the Children's Laureate. The children's laureate is awarded once every two years to a writer or illustrator of children's books. It celebrates outstanding achievement in their field.

In 2011 she also received an MBE for services to literature. 

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Julia Donaldson now lives in West Sussex with her husband Malcolm. 

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Did you know?

Julia Donaldson can speak four languages- English, French, German and Italian