| Term |
Laureate | |
| 1999–2001 |
Quentin Blake |
Quentin was the first ever UK Children's Laureate in 1999. He highlighted the art and joy of illustration and also came up with the idea for the House of Illustration that opened in 2014 and is dedicated to the art of illustration in all of its forms.[4]
Laureate's Progress (Random House, 2000) is "a kind of diary in pictures". Blake created a few other books as Laureate and initiated the House of Illustration arts charity, established 2002.[5][6] |
| 2001–03 |
Anne Fine |
Anne promoted the importance of children's reading and was dedicated to raising the profile of libraries. During her time as Children’s Laureate she also launched the My Home Library scheme, encouraging children to build their own libraries at home.[4] |
| 2003–05 |
Michael Morpurgo |
Nearly five years after conceiving the idea of the Waterstones Children's Laureate, Michael Morpurgo took on the role. During his term, Michael toured schools to promote “literature before literacy” and encouraged children to find or rediscover the joy of reading and creative writing.[2][4] |
| 2005–07 |
Jacqueline Wilson |
Jacqueline encouraged children their parents and carers to read out loud together. She toured the UK and Ireland, speaking to over 40,000 children and adults, and developed the book Great Books to Read Aloud.[4]
Judges chaired by Shami Chakrabarti, director of pressure group Liberty |
| 2007–09 |
Michael Rosen |
Michael's emphasis was children's poetry during his term. He developed online resources for teachers including video tips, book recommendations and advice for making classrooms more poetry friendly.[4] |
| 2009–11 |
Anthony Browne |
Anthony focused on the development of visual literacy for his tenure. His biggest project, The Shape Game, brought together 45 writers, artists, illustrators and celebrities to create artwork to raise money for children’s charity Rainbow Trust.[4]
Judges chaired by Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009 |
| 2011–13 |
Julia Donaldson |
During her tenure Julia did a six-week library tour, visiting 38 libraries to celebrate libraries as a precious community resource at a time when many were under threat. Another of her priorities was celebrating performance and projects including workshops for deaf children, developing an interactive website with resources.[4] |
| 2013–15 |
Malorie Blackman |
Malorie's major project was setting up the YA Lit Con (YALC), the first large-scale public literature convention dedicated entirely to teen and Young Adult books in the UK. It is now an annual event.[4] |
| 2015–17 |
Chris Riddell |
Chris focused on the celebration of illustration and doodling – encouraging children to doodle every day with the Doodle A Day book, and toured the UK visiting schools, bookshops and festivals.[4] |
| 2017–19 |
Lauren Child |
Author-illustrator Lauren championed children's creativity by encouraging them to make the time to look around and ‘stare into space’. She also developed online resources to help nurture creativity and encourage children to start their own creative projects.[4] |
| 2019–22 |
Cressida Cowell |
Cressida's two-year term was focused on encouraging every child to read for fun. She created a ten-point charter outlining what she believed every child should have a right to. This included access to new books in schools, libraries and bookshops, to own their own book and to be creative for at least 15 minutes a week.[7] |
| 2022–24 |
Joseph Coelho |
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