Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.

I think you always warm to stories about friendship and this is a very charming tale of friendship and self-understanding for one small worm. 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. Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler collaborate once again on this entertaining story about an unlikely superhero, which is certain to charm young readers. As always, Scheffler's creatures are brilliantly characterised, with our dynamic hero Superworm being especially appealing, and villains Lizard and Crow looking suitably sinister. Donaldson's lively rhyming text is full of humour and is enormous fun to read aloud. Then word of Superworm’s powers reaches the evil Wizard Lizard. He loves wearing his finest jewels and he’s so greedy he’s always searching for more. He realises Superworm could be a brilliant way to find buried treasure so he sends his henchman, the Crow, to kidnap Superworm. Julia Donaldson is the author of some of the world's best-loved children's books, including the modern classic The Gruffalo, which has sold over 17 million copies worldwide. She also writes fiction, as well as poems, plays and songs - and her brilliant live shows are always in demand. Julia was the UK Children’s Laureate 2011-13, is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and in 2019 was honoured with an CBE for services to Literature. Julia and her husband Malcolm divide their time between West Sussex and Edinburgh.

They requested me to read "Superworm" over and over again. They loved the Superworm chant and that there was a villain who needed to be defeated. Axel was born in Hamburg, Germany. At school he was good at art, but didn't think of a career in illustration until he won a cuddly purple cow in a drawing competition. He moved to England in 1982 to study illustration at the Bath Academy of Art, and then set up home in London.

An animated comedy for all the family about Superworm, a super-long and super-strong worm. Based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. More I was excited to play the narrator because I love all the Julia Donaldson books. I’ve read them to my children over the years and I love watching them at Christmas time when they’re on the telly. So I was thrilled that [Magic Light] asked me. My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes. For children's books, my guinea pigs to see if a book is good or not, I simply read it to my children. THEY tell me if the book is good or not, and when they don't say, the number of their requests for me to read the book are good indicators. Superworm is a wonderfully unlikely comic hero. He’s a long, strong worm with amazing skills and a big heart who keeps on saving the day. But what happens when he gets too full of himself and starts to ignore his friends?The Lizard has him trying to find treasure but in the meantime his friends hatch a cunning plan to rescue him. The garden creatures, the caterpillars and the spiders devise a way to trap the Wizard Lizard and free Superworm and it works to perfection. On a warm summer day, cool off with this frozen dirt square dessert from This Silly Girl’s Life. It is a fun cooking activity to do with the kids. Find out about the illustrator of the story. What other books has he illustrated? Which materials does he like to use? What questions would you like to ask him? Create this super long puppet worm. He only likes to eat things that begin with the same sound! Make a Wormery Butterfly has seen the terrible situation Superworm is in, and she rouses the other garden creatures into action, hatching a plan to save their friend. She has been inspired by a recent (accidental) trip to the local rubbish dump and realises how they can all come together to defeat the Wizard Lizard.

While he is asleep, they sneak into his lair in the middle of the night. Even though the Wizard wakes up, they manage to cover him with honey and leaves, and then bind him up in a large spiderweb, and carry him to the rubbish dump, where they drop him into the garbage. There's a charm, there's a wit, and there's a lightness of touch and hopefulness that fits really well into Christmas Day... I’ve never done an animation, and I read this and I thought it was sweet and interesting and fun. And Magic Light are really good at producing them, so I thought, why not play Superworm?” Olivia Colman is the NarratorIn this book we have a worm that is super strong and super long. The worm wiggles along the animal land to different creatures and helps them in their time of need. He goes around to rescue animals who are in trouble or helps them when they are bored. This book works really well in Early Years - it can be used as a starter for any topic related to minibeasts, nature, digging down, etc. The themes in the story can be incorporated into continuous provision activities such as tuff trays filled with soil and some of the different characters, or constructions challenges where the children investigate different way to rescue Superworm. I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married. I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.

I absolutely adore working with Magic Light on these Donaldson/Scheffler adaptations, as much as I love watching them on television when they’re finished. They perfectly capture the magic of the story books whilst transporting you even deeper into the magical world that Julia and Axel have created. This year’s adaptation of Superworm is as joyous and funny as ever." Never fear Superworm is here - and he's wiggling to the rescue! He can be a lasso, a fishing-line, even a skipping-rope. Superworm and Butterfly have been best friends since he was small and she was a caterpillar. They love helping the other garden animals: they save the baby toad from a major road, they entertain bored bees, rescue a beetle. It seems there’s no end to Superworm’s skills but he begins to get a bit too full of himself and he starts to ignore his friend. Based on the book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, Superworm starsPatricia Allison, Rob Brydon, Olivia Colman, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Matt Smith. It's directed by Jac Hamman and Sarah Scrimgeour and produced by Martin Pope and Barney Goodland with animation services by Blue Zoo. Synopsis Make a list of words and phrases that are used to describe Superworm. Can you compare these to other descriptions of superhero characters?Julia Donaldson is one of today's most popular writers. Her bestselling titles include The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child and Room on the Broom. Although she is best-known for her picture books, Julia also writes longer novels, plays and songs. She lives in Glasgow and spends a lot of time on stage performing her brilliant sell-out singalong shows! 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.