A FAMOUS children’s author has spoken out as a pair of theatrical adaptations of her work come to the Theatre Royal.

A pair of adaptations of Julia Donaldson’s work will be coming to the Theatre Royal, with Room on The Broom, performed by Tall Stories, playing from Saturday, February 11 to Sunday, February 12.

Meanwhile, Tales From Acord Wood will be at the theatre from Monday, April 3 to Tuesday, April 4.

Julia said that she was particularly delighted that Room on The Broom, which was published in 2001 and first adapted for the stage by Tall Stories in 2008, has continued to entertain families.

She added: “My relationship with Tall Stories, who created the theatre show, has been a very happy one; they’ve also done shows based on four of my other books. It’s a win-win situation really, because the book drives people to see the show and the show encourages people to buy the book. It’s great that the show is selling so well in Winchester.”

Julia also spoke of her excitement for the upcoming adaptation of Tales From Acorn Woods, which will be at the Theatre Royal at the beginning of April.

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She said: “I haven’t yet seen this show myself but am really looking forward to doing so. Tales from Acorn Wood is a series of lift-the-flap books illustrated by the wonderful Axel Scheffler but for younger children than Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo. So I imagine the theatre show will be suitable for younger audiences too, who’ll be able to meet characters like Postman Bear, Hide-and-seek Pig, and – probably my favourite - Fox (from Fox’s Socks).”

Julia will also often perform in shows based on her books, supported by her guitar-playing husband Malcolm, her sister Mary and some professional actors.

She explained: “I’ve always enjoyed acting, and ever since my books were published, I’ve been putting on shows based on them. With these shows, instead of featuring just one story, we usually include several.

“We enjoyed performing one of these shows in Winchester in 2019.”

There are currently two new books by Julia Donaldson available to buy.

The first, Colours, Colours Everywhere, was released just before Christmas and features stunning illustrations by Sharon King-Chai, who previously worked with Julia on Animalphabet and Counting Creatures.

The book takes the form of a rhyming story made up by a little girl with a paintbox and is described by Julia as being similar to a make-it-up-as-you-go-along story played by families in cars.

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Julia added: “This is the third book I’ve done with Sharon, and my favourite so far.”

The second, Rockabye Rumpus, is an anthology of chants, poems and songs for very young children, and comes with a CD on which Julia and Malcom recite and sing the various items, aided by four of their nine grandchildren.

Room on The Broom will be coming to the Theatre Royal Winchester on February 11 and February 12, while Tales from Acorn Woods will be at the Theatre on April 3 and April 4.

For more information or to book tickets, visit the Theatre Royal website: theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/.