Children's Laureate Julia Donaldson, author of best-selling The Gruffalo, has made a visit to the new Trowbridge Library as part of a national tour.

The author was welcomed by Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott before reading and singing to children from Bellefield Primary School.

Trowbridge was picked from hundreds of applications to be one of 24 libraries on the English and Welsh leg of the Children’s Laureate Libraries Tour this autumn.

Mrs Donaldson – the author of more than 150 books, including The Gruffalo, What the Ladybird Heard and Zog – has embarked on a tour celebrating libraries.

It will take in England, Wales and Scotland, from John O’Groats to Lands’ End.

More than 90 children from Bellefield Primary School in Trowbridge attended the invitation-only event.

Mrs Donaldson brought some of her hugely popular stories to life through dramatisations. The children showed off their own acting and singing skills during a short performance inspired by children’s literature.

Mrs Donaldson said: “Libraries are very close to my heart and so is performance. This tour is my way of bringing the two together, by visiting fantastic libraries all over the country, enjoying children acting and singing, and sharing my own stories with them. “I want it to be a huge celebration of libraries and of the benefits they offer to communities and especially to children.”

Alan MacRae, the council’s portfolio holder for libraries, heritage and culture said: “We are really pleased and privileged that Julia chose to visit Trowbridge on her tour.

“It is really important to the library and the community to have such a well-loved children’s author to visit us and inspire local children’s reading and creativity.”