I found the article on children’s books in broadcasting by Diana Hinds extremely interesting (TES, Primary Update, January 24). She cites the encouraging fact that the BBC is still able to produce top-quality book-based children’s drama such as The Borrowers and Little Lord Fauntleroy in spite of huge costs and competition from imported cartoons.
She then goes on to list other recent dramas, albeit “on a less literary note” - The Demon Headmaster and The Queen’s Nose.
I thought it would be useful to point out that these very successful series are, in fact, both based on critically acclaimed novels by two of the UK’s most successful, award-winning and popular contemporary children’s writers, Gillian Cross and Dick King-Smith.
Evidence indeed that the BBC is carrying on the tradition of contemporary book-based drama into the 1990s.
ELAINE McQUADE
Children’s marketing director Penguin Books 27 Wrights Lane London W8
