Six Delicious Ds by Lynne Benton

I couldn’t find so many authors whose names begin with D, but I did manage to find a splendid half-dozen.

ROALD DAHL was born in Cardiff in 1915, and is one of the foremost children’s authors of the modern age.  His many books, with iconic illustrations by Quentin Blake, have been televised, filmed, staged and made into musicals as well as read by millions.  I’d be pushed to choose the most famous, though “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is a perennial favourite.  He died in 1990, but his name is sure to resonate for many years to come.

CHARLES DICKENS.  Although principally known as a writer of books for adults, many children begin to read some of his books at school, such as "A Christmas Carol", "David Copperfield" and "Great Expectations".  Although he was born in 1812, much of his work is still relevant today.  Many of his books have been televised and staged, and some filmed, and quotes from some of them are now widely familiar (“Bah, humbug!” from "A Christmas Carol", to take one example.)

 BERLIE DOHERTY is a modern author, born in Liverpool, who has won the Carnegie medal twice: once in 1986 for "Granny Was a Buffer Girl", and again in 1991 for "Dear Nobody".  Both books are set in Sheffield, and "Dear Nobody" has been adapted for radio, television and the stage.

JOHN DOUGHERTY writes hilarious books for children, most notably his “Stinkbomb and Ketchup-face” series, which have been known to reduce adults as well as children to tears of laughter.  He is also a poet and singer-songwriter, and lives in Gloucestershire.

WALTER DE LA MARE (1823-1956) is less famous now than he used to be, but in 1947 he won the Carnegie medal for his “Collected Stories for Children”, a collection of 17 fantasy stories or original fairy tales.  He also wrote many poems, of which the most well-known is probably “The Listeners”, which begins:

“Is there anybody there?” said the Traveller

JULIA DONALDSON, last year’s Children’s Laureate, has written many books for young children, of which “The Gruffalo” is surely her best-known.  It is the delightful story of a mouse who comes face to face with the terrible creature of his imagination, the Gruffalo, and how he tricks the creature into fearing him.  The story has been filmed for television, with familiar illustrations by Axel Scheffler. 

As ever in this series, I've probably left out someone who really should have been included, so do let me know of any.  Next month I have only two authors whose names begin with E, so I shall combine the Es with the Fs.