The exceptional talents behind some of the nation's best-loved books from The Gruffalo to The BFG, We're Going on a Bear Hunt to the Charlie and Lola series the Children's Laureates are the perfect ambassadors for children's literature. It's been twenty wonderful years of the Laureateship and now all ten former honourees have banded together to celebrate the only way they know how: through stories, poems and pictures . Among others, Quentin Blake tells the stories behind his pictures of weird and wonderful beasts, Michael Morpurgo draws on childhood memories for a moving wartime tale and Michael Rosen plays with language and shapes in his witty, read-aloud poems. Each contribution is designed to inspire children to create their own work and is accompanied by a note from the authors rare insights from the finest talent in the world of children's books. Above all else, Flights of Fancy celebrates the Laureateship's most important achievement: encouraging children to let their imagination soar.

 

 

This book was published in 2019 by W F Howes Ltd .

Paul Stewart is the very funny, very talented author of more than fifteen books for children, including The Edge Chronicles, a collaboration with Chris Riddell. Anne Fine is a bestselling author, former Children's Laureate and prize-winner with great profile across the trade, libraries and educational markets. QUENTIN BLAKE is Britain's leading illustrator, and was chosen as the first Children's Laureate. One of today's most successful creators of children's books, Lauren Child is the winner of several awards, including Highly Commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal for Clarice Bean, That's Me. Lauren lives in North London. Malorie Blackman was the 8th UK Children's Laureate and is one of the UK's highest profile authors for teenagers and young adults. She has won the Children's Book Award and a raft of other prizes and is the force behind the annual YALC event. Jacqueline Wilson has written over 70 books for young readers of all ages. She lives in England. Michael Rosen is a poet, writer and broadcaster, and held the post of Children's laureate from 2007-2009. Julia Donaldson is a former Children's Laureate and the author of the internationally bestselling book The Gruffalo, as well as numerous other popular titles. Anthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist and the current Children's Laureate in the United Kingdom, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Silly Billy. He lives in Kent, England. Michael Morpurgo has brought together poems by writers as diverse as Spike Milligan and Stevie Smith, John Lennon and Jo Shapcott.