The Best Julia Donaldson Books – Most Popular Julia Donaldson Books
If you love to read children’s books, I hope you have read some of the wonderful books written by Julia Donaldson.
In our house, some of the more popular Julia Donaldson books like The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom have always been in our reading rotation. We love her style of writing. The rhyming text is so fun to read and always leads to a fun storytime.
In this post, we are excited to share our favorite Julia Donaldson books. She has written over 200 books so this list will not be able to cover all of her books.
So, we are sharing Julia Donaldson picture books that kids will LOVE.
All About Author Julia Donaldson
Julia Donaldson certainly has a knack for creating stories that children love. Julia has written over 200 children’s books! Of those 200 books, over 60 of them are widely available in bookstores and libraries.
Through popular books such as The Gruffalo and StickMan, Julia Donaldson can create shared reading moments that bring readers together. Bestselling author of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson’s stories are so fun for little readers. Whether you are looking for a charming bedtime story or an adventurous tale, a Julia Donaldson book will surely hit the spot.
If you are hoping to learn more about Julia Donaldson’s life, I love this article by The Guardian. Let’s not forget about Axel Scheffler – the amazing illustrator who has illustrated many of the books below!
Best Books by Julia Donaldson – Our Favorite Julia Donaldson Stories
The Smartest Giant in Town
Julia Donaldson can write characters that are so good-hearted. George the scruffiest giant in town is no exception!
When George is strolling around the town, he is feeling quite… sloppy. He could use a wardrobe update. Luckily, a new shop in town has giant-sized clothes! George is feeling great now. As he walks through town, he notices some animal friends who could help. So what does George do? He gives the clothes right off his back! Such a great story that your children will love!
The Gruffalo
This is one of Julia Donaldson’s most popular books. Over 13.5 million copies have been sold! In my opinion, this is one of the best Julia Donaldson books.
When a clever mouse meets some hungry friends in the deep dark wood, the mouse decides to make up a very scary monster. However, the mouse ends up meeting a Gruffalo in person! Will the mouse be able to outwit this Gruffalo?
Superworm
We love this Julia Donaldson book in our house! We especially love the heroic Superworm and all of his wonderful friends that we get to meet. This is a very fun book to read to toddlers and children alike!
Superworm is always there to save the day. When he finds himself in some trouble, Superworm’s pals don’t hesitate to keep him. Will Superworm’s friends be able to save him from the villainous lizard?
Stick man
Filled with the beautiful rhymes of Julia Donaldson, this book will surely entertain your little readers.
Stick Man lives in a tree with his family. However, on one unfortunate day, Stick Man is carried off by a dog. From there, Stick Man goes on quite the adventure. But he is so eager to return home to his wife and stick children! Will he ever make it back home?
The Highway Rat
In this picture book, an unlawful rat wreaks havoc in his town, stealing and looting from everyone he runs into! Thankfully, a brave little duck finds a clever way to get rid of the rat once and for all. Will the plan work? And will the Highway Rat eventually learn his lesson?
The rhyming tempo in this book makes it such a fun story to read aloud!
Zog
We love dragons in our house so you can’t be too surprised that Julia Donaldson’s Zog is high on our list!
There are so many things to love about this book. Zog is in dragon school and is having a hard time with certain tasks. Luckily, he meets a helpful princess named Pearl who becomes his friend.
A charming book about friendship, never giving up, and chasing your dreams!
Cave Baby
We picked up Cave Baby from our library a month or two ago – and I am so glad we did!
When Cave Baby is a little bored, he decides to paint the cave walls. The baby’s mom and dad are none too pleased about that. They threaten that a mammoth is going to whisk the baby away to a big brown bear! Later that night, a mammoth whisked the baby away! But it turns out to be a pretty fun adventure for a baby.
Where’s My Mom?
I adore this book because of the wonderful rhymes – perfect for younger children! Apart from the magical rhymes, each page is filled with a different jungle animal. My son loved reading this one!
When a little monkey can’t find his mom, a little butterfly friend tries to help. They meet lots of animals along the way!
Room on the Broom
Do you and your family love all things Halloween? We sure do! This is easily one of my favorite Halloween stories. It’s not spooky – just a great book with beautiful illustrations. Young children will surely love it!
This is the story of a witch who keeps losing her things, but some helpful pals find her stuff. But in return, they want a ride on her broom. Will there be enough room?
Tabby McTat, The Musical Cat
Tabby McTat is the lovely story of Tabby the cat and Fred, a street-performing musician. Together, they make wonderful music that many enjoy. One day, Fred goes after a thief who steals their earnings, and the musical duo gets separated. Will they be able to find each other again?
This book was such a delightful read. It is heartwarming to read about their friendship and how it evolves.
The Snail and the Whale
When a little snail longs to see what life is like beyond his rock, he hitches a ride on the back of a whale. Together, the tiny snail and the whale go on an amazing journey. However, the whale ends up getting beached! Luckily, the tiny snail can rescue the whale – despite the tiny snail’s size!
If you are looking for a Julia Donaldson book that has fantastic rhyming and a story about friendship, be sure to check this one out!
The Gruffalo’s Child
In this sequel to The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child is a story about the Gruffalo’s daughter and the big bad mouse. The Gruffalo explains why his child should never step into the deep dark wood.
Does the child listen? Nope! When the child was feeling bored, she ventures out into the deep dark wood to see the big bad mouse herself. Will Gruffalo’s child see the mouse? Or is the mouse playing tricks again?
What the Ladybird Heard
In this picture book illustrated by Lydia Monks, we meet a ladybird (also known as a ladybug for us Americans) who overhears a conversation between two thieves hoping to steal the prized cow.
Luckily, the little ladybird comes up with quite the plan to save the day!
Lydia Monks gives this Julia Donaldson story a new look, which I love! My little guy and I loved seeing what plan these animals had in store.
The Everywhere Bear
The Everywhere Bear is the treasured stuffed animal for Class One. This bear gets to go home with a student every weekend. So exciting for this little bear!
The bear goes on an unexpected adventure when a student accidentally drops the bear into the street. Will the bear make it back home to the classroom?
A Squash and a Squeeze
When a little old lady feels her house is too small, she gets advice from a wise old man. The wise old man suggests bringing large animals to fill the space. Sounds silly, right? Sure enough, chaos ensues at the house. The little old lady learns to appreciate all of the space she has!
Final Thoughts on Julia Donaldson’s Books
Those are some of my favorite Julia Donaldson books. She’s a very talented author and we love reading her books in our home. I’m so excited to see what other Julia Donaldson books my son enjoys as he gets older.
If you ever feel like you need to add a new author to your book rotation, be sure to give one of the books above a try.
Related Articles
The book lists below include some Julia Donaldson titles. Be sure to check out the rest of the titles that are featured!
