I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books. Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta. Lots of Julia Donaldson books feature animal characters - from whales to ladybirds, from monkeys to mice! A poetic story of love, adventure and music that demands to be read aloud or possibly sung, depending on the power of the reader's purr.

Find out about snails, whales and other creatures shown in the book. Where do they live? What do they eat? One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.

Clips

Look at one of the pictures, without the accompanying text. Can you write about that part of the creatures’ adventure? Could you think of words / phrases to describe what is happening in the illustration? The Snail and the Whale, review: Fine for youngsters, but Nemo won't be losing any sleep, The Independent, 25 December 2019

If it seems strange that these two would be travelling companions, we will learn as we read this story, that this snail and whale each play an important role in each other’s lives. While I agree that The Gruffalo is undeniably a fantastic children's book, The Snail and the Whale is by far my favourite of Donaldson's. I found my nursery class on SEB absolutely adored this book and I ended up reading it to at least 2 of them in the book corner every day!

Last on

These are the caves Beneath the waves, Where stripy fish with featery fins And sharks with hideous toothy grins Swam round the whale And the snail on his tail. We've chosen some of our favourite seaside-themed children’s books for all ages - which one is your favourite? A beautiful tale of an unlikely friendship, a tour of the world and a heroic rescue. Based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.