THE author of The Gruffalo children's books is moving back to England after being based near Glasgow for years.

Julia Donaldson and her husband Malcolm, a senior researcher in child health at Glasgow University, are putting their property in Bearsden on the market.

The author has had a high profile in Scotland since she moved from Bristol in 1989.

The couple have two sons and four grandchildren - one family in the Cotswolds and the other in Broughty Ferry - and now plan to divide their time between the two.

Although moving out of Scotland, they intend to hold on to a flat in Edinburgh for return visits.

Donaldson, 64, is one of the most successful authors in the UK, with more than 180 published works to her name.

The Gruffalo, her 1999 story of an imaginary monster that turns out to be real, has sold more than 10 million copies and been translated into 40 languages, including Scots.

Along with sequel The Gruffalo's Child, and Room On The Broom, the story has been made into a BBC animation.