Julia Donaldson: ‘I worry some children will be unable to sing’

The bestselling author of the Gruffalo is concerned about the limits coronavirus has placed on the lives of her young fans

Children are not, says Julia Donaldson with a smile, going to write to her directly about the pandemic. Her assistant has just delivered a fresh pile of post, and the author shuffles through a stack of opened letters to make the point: Children aren't going to write, Oh dear I feel so lonely or overcrowded' - they are just writing their usual, There were four kittens called mitten, litten, nitten and kitten.' They are so sweet, some of the things they write."

If, as well as her permanent affection for the nation's children, there is mild exasperation at being asked to act as their spokesperson as they emerge from another lockdown, it can be forgiven: as the creator of such beloved characters as the Gruffalo, Tiddler and Zog, the former children's laureate, actor and singer-songwriter has long been expected to help her readers think, rhyme and imagine for themselves.