Latest news with #TheGruffalo
Scottish Sun
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Husband of iconic children's book author leaves huge £1.3million fortune to family after his death
A will he prepared in 2020 instructed that his fortune should be handed to his family LEGEND'S LEGACY Husband of iconic children's book author leaves huge £1.3million fortune to family after his death Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE BELOVED husband of Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson left a £1.3m fortune to his family, it has emerged. Dr Malcolm Donaldson was a paediatric consultant and senior lecturer in child health at the University of Glasgow until his retirement. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 3 The husband of author Julia Donaldson left a £1.3million fortune to his family Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 3 Julia's bestselling children's books include The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child Credit: Getty The university later appointed him honorary senior research fellow at its School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing. He was married to Julia, whose children's books The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child have been global best-sellers, for 52 years. He passed away aged 75 in September last year, and probate documents revealed he left an estate valued at £1,322,528. A will he prepared in 2020 instructed his fortune should be handed to his family. Julia is the author of over 184 published works and a former Children's Laureate. The Gruffalo was first published in 1999 and has sold more than 13.5m copies. The couple lived in the Glasgow suburb of Bearsden from 1987 until moving to Surrey in 2014. As a highly respected academic, Dr Donaldson wrote or contributed to more than 180 publications, papers and books. But he was also an accomplished actor, singer and guitarist who accompanied his wife to perform her songs and stories at festivals, schools, libraries and bookshops around the world. His younger patients also gave him the affectionate nickname Dr Gruffalo. Brits urged to 'look in loft' as 5 popular 90s toys could make you serious money Tributes were paid to Donaldson after his death. Axel Scheffler, who illustrated the Gruffalo books, said: 'I have known Malcolm for 30 years and always admired his enthusiasm for our books, Julia's work and children's books in general. "All this, besides being a paediatric consultant and giving lectures all over the world. "His true passion was performing with Julia on stage, playing the guitar and acting – especially his legendary suave role of the Fox in The Gruffalo. "He will be deeply missed.' The British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) said: "His contributions will continue to resonate in the field of paediatric endocrinology and child health in the UK, Europe and beyond for many years to come. "His warmth, wisdom and gentle spirit will be deeply missed but forever remembered by all who knew him."
Daily Mirror
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson's husband left his family huge sum in his will after sad death
Doctor Malcolm Donaldson, the husband of The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, left a huge sum in his will following his passing last September Doctor Malcolm Donaldson, the husband of The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, left a whopping sum in his will after dying aged 75. Dr Donaldson was a paediatric consultant and senior lecturer in child health at the University of Glasgow until his retirement in 2012. Following his retirement, he was made honorary senior research fellow at its School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing. He was given the nickname 'Dr Gruffalo' by those he treated at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. Dr Donaldson's wife is The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson. She penned the book in 1999 and so far, it has sold a whopping 13.5 million copies. Now it has been revealed he left a huge sum to Julia and their family in his will following his death. Probate documents have revealed that Dr Donaldson left an estate, which was valued at a huge £1,322,528. His will, written in 2020, said that he wanted his estate to go to his family. At the time of his death, tributes flooded in for Dr Donaldson. The British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) said: 'His contributions will continue to resonate in the field of paediatric endocrinology and child health in the UK, Europe and beyond for many years to come. His warmth, wisdom and gentle spirit will be deeply missed but forever remembered by all you knew him." Axel Scheffler, who illustrated the Gruffalo books, wrote in a tribute to Malcolm at the time of his death: "I have known Malcolm for 30 years and always admired his enthusiasm for our books, Julia's work and children's books in general. "All this beside being a paediatric consultant and giving lectures all over the world. His true passion was performing with Julia on stage, playing the guitar and acting – especially his legendary suave role of the Fox in The Gruffalo. He will be deeply missed." In an interview last year, Julia quipped that the Gruffalo - the main character of her most famous work - "hogged the attention". She said: "I think The Gruffalo's the one everyone has heard of, even people who haven't read the book. "To be honest, what I like is when people single out one of my other books as their favourite as I think The Gruffalo's a bit spoilt. He hogs too much of the attention really." She admitted she didn't think the book would even get published, adding: "I didn't really think it was going to get published. I had no idea. I had had quite a few rejections from other stories I'd written." Dr Donaldson was married to Julia for over five decades before his sad death in September last year.
IOL News
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Explore exciting new children's books and games this holiday season
This is the sequel to "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss Image: Loot Description: How The Grinch Lost Christmas - Dr. Seuss A sequel to the timeless classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas! featuring all your favourite characters. Price: R375 Visit: Walk further into the deep dark wood, and discover what happens when a quick-witted mouse comes face to face with an owl, a snake . . . and a hungry Gruffalo! Image: Loot Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Description: The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson Walk further into the deep dark wood, and discover what happens when a quick-witted mouse comes face to face with an owl, a snake . . . and a hungry Gruffalo! This editionfeatures the classic story with a stunning redesigned cover and beautiful finish, making it amust-have addition to the bookshelves of all Donaldson and Scheffler fans – big and small. Price: R185 Visit: Trio is a card game in which players are looking for three of a kind. Image: Loot Description: TRIO Trio is a card game in which players are looking for three of a kind. The deck consists of 36 cards, numbered 1-12 three times. Players receive some cards in hand, which they are required to sort from low to high, and the remaining cards are placed face down on the table. Price: R210 Visit: Encourage a love of storytelling while you construct beautiful towers fit for a princess! Image: Loot Description: Mega Bloks Big Building Bag (60 Pieces) Accented with bright yellow and lavender, these big blocks are perfect for creating colourful castles for whimsical adventures. Encourage a love of storytelling while you construct beautiful towers fit for a princess! Price: R489 Visit:
Sydney Morning Herald
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Too busy to read to children? You're missing out on one of life's greatest joys
Have you heard the voice I do for the mouse in The Gruffalo children's book? I've based it on that of Kenneth Horne from Round the Horne, who I realise is not so well known these days. But the voice is just perfect for the character of that brave little mouse. Oh my God, I love reading aloud. My dreams of being an actor may have ended in tears at age 16, but with a children's book in hand, I have a renewed chance to perform. The criticism my acting always received in school productions – 'far too big, can't you tone it down a little?' – appears no impediment to applause from this particular audience. Who doesn't like reading books to kids? Lots of people, according to a new survey which also found 30 per cent of NSW parents and 22 per cent of Victorian parents say they're too busy to read daily to their children. It fits with a recent UK study finding that reading aloud to children is at an all-time low. Fewer than half of 0-to-4-year-olds are read to frequently, and fewer than half of parents of children under 13 said reading aloud to children was 'fun for me'. 'Fun for me' is precisely the phrase I'd use, whether it's the memories of reading to my own children decades ago or reading to those children's children. Often the same books, the pages all torn and tatty. What's so good about reading aloud? The child, for once, is sitting still. Not tearing up and down the hallway on a tricycle, not painting bunny rabbits on the wall with Texta, not using the drawer handles as a ladder to clamber onto the stove-top, searching for the ignition. Instead, they are sitting calmly, head leaning on your shoulder, entranced. What's not to love? Repetition, to be fair, can be an issue. Jemima and Big Ted's mission to the moon has an engaging plot based on the International Space Station running out of honey, which apparently is a real problem. It's a favourite with the current lot and, if you'll forgive a moment of vanity, I think my Big Ted voice is quite compelling. On the other hand, is it worth reading 4371 times, when I've only read Anna Karenina twice? The Big Ted story is new to our collection, but other books are like a time machine. You sit there with a child on your knee, reading Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, or CJ Dennis' A Book for Kids, or Margaret Wild's Toby – same copy, same knee, same time-tested accents. It may be life's only way to make 30 years disappear.
The Age
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Too busy to read to children? You're missing out on one of life's greatest joys
Have you heard the voice I do for the mouse in The Gruffalo children's book? I've based it on that of Kenneth Horne from Round the Horne, who I realise is not so well known these days. But the voice is just perfect for the character of that brave little mouse. Oh my God, I love reading aloud. My dreams of being an actor may have ended in tears at age 16, but with a children's book in hand, I have a renewed chance to perform. The criticism my acting always received in school productions – 'far too big, can't you tone it down a little?' – appears no impediment to applause from this particular audience. Who doesn't like reading books to kids? Lots of people, according to a new survey which also found 30 per cent of NSW parents and 22 per cent of Victorian parents say they're too busy to read daily to their children. It fits with a recent UK study finding that reading aloud to children is at an all-time low. Fewer than half of 0-to-4-year-olds are read to frequently, and fewer than half of parents of children under 13 said reading aloud to children was 'fun for me'. 'Fun for me' is precisely the phrase I'd use, whether it's the memories of reading to my own children decades ago or reading to those children's children. Often the same books, the pages all torn and tatty. What's so good about reading aloud? The child, for once, is sitting still. Not tearing up and down the hallway on a tricycle, not painting bunny rabbits on the wall with Texta, not using the drawer handles as a ladder to clamber onto the stove-top, searching for the ignition. Instead, they are sitting calmly, head leaning on your shoulder, entranced. What's not to love? Repetition, to be fair, can be an issue. Jemima and Big Ted's mission to the moon has an engaging plot based on the International Space Station running out of honey, which apparently is a real problem. It's a favourite with the current lot and, if you'll forgive a moment of vanity, I think my Big Ted voice is quite compelling. On the other hand, is it worth reading 4371 times, when I've only read Anna Karenina twice? The Big Ted story is new to our collection, but other books are like a time machine. You sit there with a child on your knee, reading Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, or CJ Dennis' A Book for Kids, or Margaret Wild's Toby – same copy, same knee, same time-tested accents. It may be life's only way to make 30 years disappear.
