Bearsden author reveals an inspirational childhood
POPULAR children’s author Julia Donaldson has revealed an amazing story about her early life this week.
The Gruffalo author from Bearsden admits that the tale of how her parents met would make a wonderful children’s book in its own right - if only she had time to write it.
Her mum Elizabeth met a woman at secretarial college, Beta, who told her that she must meet her brother as they both liked to eat very slowly and they both liked classical music.
Beta introduced her to Jerry, who later became Julia’s father, and shortly after he was called up to fight in World War Two.
He was taken to a Prisoner of War Camp and they wrote to each other all that time. While he was in POW camp he met a man called Chris and told him that if they ever got out, he should meet his sister - Beta.
When they eventually got out, Chris met and later married Beta and Jerry married Elizabeth and they bought a house together on Golders Green in London. Then they moved to a bigger Victorian mansion with Jerry and Beta’s mother where they all lived together.
Children’s Laureate, Julia, credits her parents and grandmother for inspiring her to become a writer as they read to her when she was a child. Her gran was an avid collector of works of artist and poet Edward Lear - best known for The Owl and the Pussycat. She has written a sequel for The Owl and the Pussycat which comes out later this year.
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Friday 24 May 2013
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