Donaldson to tour bookshops for Independent Bookshop Week

Julia Donaldson will visit bookshops in West Sussex, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Lancashire, West Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders to celebrate this year’s Independent Book Week, which is taking place from 15th to 22nd June.

The tour will start at The Steyning Bookshop on 15th June and travel to The Mad Hatter Bookshop in Burford, Jaffé and Neale Bookshop in Chipping Norton, Button and Bear Bookshop in Shrewsbury, ebb & flo in Chorley, The Book Case in Hebden Bridge and The Mainstreet Trading Company in St Boswells, ending at the West End Festival in Glasgow. It is being supported by her two main publishers, Scholastic and Macmillan Children's Books.

Donaldson will perform The Go-Away Bird (Macmillan Children's Books) alongside illustrator Catherine Rayner as well as read from other stories such as The Gruffalo.

"I am a huge fan of independent bookshops,” she said. “I love their individuality and the way they play such a role in the community: my own local bookshop sells tickets for various societies and concerts, as well as organising lots of events and signings. I am constantly impressed by the dedication and knowledge of the independent booksellers and the way they champion reading. So I'm delighted to be visiting so many shops in Britain during Independent Bookshop Week to help celebrate their work."

Independent Bookshop Week is part of the Books Are My Bag campaign and run by the Booksellers Association, and was set up to celebrate independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland.