🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Julia Donaldson
She and her sister were always busy creating imaginary characters and mimicking the real ones, and Julia would write shows and choreograph ballets for the both of them. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes. For her fifth birthday, her dad gave her a very fat book titled “The Book of a Thousand Poems”. She loved this book. She read the poems, recited and learned them, and made up some of her own. Even though she wanted to be a poet starting back then, she later decided she would rather go on stage. This didn’t quite work out, so she worked other jobs in publishing and teaching. Somehow she has been able to do what she wanted to when she was just five years old. She has a theory this happens to quite a few people.
All Book Series by Julia Donaldson
Gruffalo Explorers: The Gruffalo Spring Nature Trail
Book 10 of 27 · published 2015
Gruffalo Explorers: The Gruffalo Summer Nature Trail
Book 11 of 27 · published 2015
Gruffalo Explorers: The Gruffalo Autumn Nature Trail
Book 12 of 27 · published 2015
Gruffalo Explorers: The Gruffalo Winter Nature Trail
Book 13 of 27 · published 2015
The Gruffalo and Friends Activity Case
Latest in the series · book 14 of 14 · published 2020
Princess Mirror-Belle and Snow White
Latest in the series · book 9 of 9 · published 2020
Stick Man / Bioran
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 2008 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Stick Man Drawing and Colouring Book
Book 2 of 4 · published 2016 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Stick Man Annual 2019
Book 3 of 4 · published 2018 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Stick Man Family Tree Recipe Book
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2020
Superworm
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 2012 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Superworm Sticker Book
Book 2 of 4 · published 2020 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Superworm Finger Puppet Book
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2021 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Tales from Acorn Wood: Three Lift-The-Flap Stories. Julia Donaldson
Book 5 of 21 · published 2006
What the Ladybird Heard at Christmas
Latest in the series · book 14 of 14 · published 2022
A Squash and a Squeeze
Series opener · book 1 of 140 · published 1993 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Night Monkey Day Monkey
Book 13 of 140 · published 2002 Co-authored · Lucy Richards
The Smartest Giant in Town
Book 14 of 140 · published 2002 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Snail and the Whale
Book 15 of 140 · published 2003 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Magic Paintbrush
Book 16 of 140 · published 2003 Co-authored · Joel Stewart
The Wrong Kind of Bark
Book 19 of 140 · published 2004 Co-authored · Garry Parsons
One Ted Falls Out of Bed
Book 20 of 140 · published 2004 Co-authored · Anna Currey
Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose
Book 21 of 140 · published 2005 Co-authored · Nick Sharratt
Charlie Cook's Favorite Book
Book 22 of 140 · published 2005 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Quick Brown Fox Cub
Book 23 of 140 · published 2005 Co-authored · Lucy Richards
Queen Aneena's Feast
Book 41 of 140 · published 2006 Co-authored · Melanie Williamson
Room on the Broom and Other Songs
Book 45 of 140 · published 2006 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Princess and the Wizard
Book 49 of 140 · published 2006 Co-authored · Lydia Monks
Ron Rabbit's Big Day
Book 55 of 140 · published 2007 Co-authored · Clare Kirtley
The Deer and the Earwig
Book 62 of 140 · published 2008 Co-authored · Clare Kirtley
The Upside Down Browns
Book 63 of 140 · published 2008 Co-authored · Clare Kirtley
Where Were You, Bert?
Book 65 of 140 · published 2008 Co-authored · Clare Kirtley
The Trunk and the Skunk
Book 67 of 140 · published 2008 Co-authored · Clare Kirtley
One Mole Digging A Hole
Book 72 of 140 · published 2008 Co-authored · Nick Sharratt
The Smartest Giant in Town Activity Book
Book 75 of 140 · published 2009 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Tyrannosaurus Drip. Activity Book
Book 86 of 140 · published 2009 Co-authored · DavidRoberts
Freddie and the Fairy
Book 89 of 140 · published 2010 Co-authored · Karen George
Jack and the Flumflum Tree
Book 91 of 140 · published 2011 Co-authored · DavidRoberts
Goat Goes to Playgroup
Book 92 of 140 · published 2012 Co-authored · Nick Sharratt
Stop Chatting, Bill
Book 101 of 140 · published 2012 Co-authored · Clare Kirtley
Room on the Broom Colouring Book
Book 103 of 140 · published 2012 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Sugarlump and the Unicorn
Book 105 of 140 · published 2013 Co-authored · Lydia Monks
Wake Up Do, Lydia Lou!
Book 106 of 140 · published 2013 Co-authored · Karen George
Stick Man's First Words
Book 109 of 140 · published 2013 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-Cat
Book 110 of 140 · published 2013
The Scarecrows' Wedding
Book 112 of 140 · published 2014 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Highway Rat Activity Book
Book 113 of 140 · published 2015 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
What the Jackdaw Saw
Book 114 of 140 · published 2015 Co-authored · Nick Sharratt
There's an Owl in My Towel
Book 116 of 140 · published 2016 Co-authored · Rebecca Cobb
Whoosh! Went the Witch
Book 119 of 140 · published 2017 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Cook and the King
Book 120 of 140 · published 2018 Co-authored · DavidRoberts
Cereal Superfan: A Bloomsbury Young Reader
Book 122 of 140 · published 2018 Co-authored · Garry Parsons
The Go-Away Bird
Book 123 of 140 · published 2019 Co-authored · Catherine Rayner
The Snail and the Whale Seaside Nature Trail
Book 124 of 140 · published 2019 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Smeds and the Smoos
Book 125 of 140 · published 2019 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Teeny Weeny Genie
Book 126 of 140 · published 2020 Co-authored · Anna Currey
Room on the Broom Push-Pull-Slide
Book 127 of 140 · published 2020 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
It's a Little Baby
Book 129 of 140 · published 2020 Co-authored · Rebecca Cobb
Room on the Broom Jigsaw Book
Book 130 of 140 · published 2020 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Counting Creatures
Book 131 of 140 · published 2020 Co-authored · Sharon King-Chai
The Woolly Bear Caterpillar
Book 133 of 140 · published 2021 Co-authored · Yuval Zommer
The Christmas Pine
Book 134 of 140 · published 2021 Co-authored · Victoria Sandøy
Room on the Broom Touch and Feel Book
Book 136 of 140 · published 2022 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Welcome to the World
Book 137 of 140 · published 2023 Co-authored · Helen Oxenbury
Jonty Gentoo: The Adventures of a Penguin
Book 138 of 140 · published 2024 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Tooth Fairy and the Crocodile
Latest in the series · book 140 of 140 · published 2026
The What the Ladybird Heard Play
Book 22 of 25 · published 2016 Co-authored · Lydia Monks
The What the Ladybird Heard Next Play
Book 23 of 25 · published 2017 Co-authored · Lydia Monks
The Room on the Broom Play
Book 24 of 25 · published 2018 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Chariots and Champions
Latest in the series · book 25 of 25 · published 2021 Co-authored · Thomas Docherty
The Trunk and The Skunk and Other Stories
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 2020
My Phonics Activity Book
Book 3 of 5 · published 2020 Co-authored · Clare Kirtley
Singing Dad and Other Stories
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2020
Wriggle and Roar!: Rhymes to Join in With
Book 3 of 18 · published 2004 Co-authored · Nick Sharratt
Poems to Perform: A Classic Collection Chosen by the Children's Laureate
Book 12 of 18 · published 2013
A Treasury of Songs
Book 14 of 18 · published 2016 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Sugarlump and the Unicorn and Other Stories
Book 16 of 18 · published 2020 Co-authored · Sophie Thompson,David Tennant,Joanna Page,Lauren Laverne,Lydia Monks,Julian Clary,Imelda Staunton,Noma Dumezweni
Spike Says and Other Stories
Latest in the series · book 18 of 18 · published 2020
The Room on the Broom Cookbook
Single-title series · published 2018 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Soppy Hoppy
Series opener · book 1 of 53 · published 2001 Anthology · Jeanne Willis
The Moon Monsters Get Lost
Book 5 of 53 · published 2002 Anthology · Jeanne Willis
A Little Green Monster
Book 10 of 53 · published 2007 Anthology · Jeanne Willis
Giant George & the Robin
Book 12 of 53 · published 2008 Anthology · Jeanne Willis
The Trout Fishing Song
Book 15 of 53 · published 2008 Anthology · Jeanne Willis
Rat and Cat - The Hat!
Book 16 of 53 · published 2008 Anthology · Jeanne Willis
One-Way Ticket to Mars
Book 19 of 53 · published 2009 Anthology · Jeanne Willis
Little Red Riding Hoody
Book 20 of 53 · published 2010 Anthology · Jeanne Willis
The Not-So-Merry-Go-Round
Book 22 of 53 · published 2010 Anthology · Maureen Haselhurst
A Rat and Cat in the Hat Trick
Book 24 of 53 · published 2010 Anthology · Jeanne Willis
Flash the Dog Dives In!
Book 34 of 53 · published 2012 Anthology · Jim Eldridge
The Dragon's Tale and Other Beastly Stories
Book 36 of 53 · published 2012 Anthology · Anthony Horowitz,Simone Massoni
Rat and Cat - Let's Jump
Book 39 of 53 · published 2012 Anthology · Jeanne Willis
Flash the Dog Bounces In!
Book 47 of 53 · published 2013 Anthology · Jim Eldridge
Big Giant, Little Bear
Book 48 of 53 · published 2013 Anthology · Rosalind Kerven
Goldilocks and The Clever Plan
Book 49 of 53 · published 2013 Anthology · Smriti Halls
Goldilocks and the Big Mess
Book 50 of 53 · published 2013 Anthology · Smriti Halls
Goldilocks and the Porridge Problem
Book 51 of 53 · published 2016 Anthology · Smriti Halls
The Road to Freedom
Book 52 of 53 · published 2017 Anthology · Lesa Cline-Ransome
The Tree
Latest in the series · book 53 of 53 · published 2017 Anthology · Smriti Halls
The Princess and the Wizard Sticker Book
Series opener · book 1 of 29 · published 2001 Co-authored · Lydia Monks
The Tiddler Activity Book
Book 5 of 29 · published 2014 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Sugarlump and the Unicorn Sticker Book
Book 6 of 29 · published 2016 Co-authored · Lydia Monks
Julia Donaldson's Songbirds: My First Reading and Activity Book
Book 8 of 29 · published 2016
My First Animal Fun Sticker Book: Over 250 Stickers!
Book 9 of 29 · published 2016 Co-authored · Nick Sharratt
My First 123 Sticker Book: Over 230 Stickers!
Book 10 of 29 · published 2016 Co-authored · Nick Sharratt
The Highway Rat Sticker Activity Book
Book 12 of 29 · published 2017 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Detective Dog Sticker Book
Book 14 of 29 · published 2018 Co-authored · Sara Ogilvie
The Highway Rat Sticker Book
Book 15 of 29 · published 2019 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Tabby McTat Sticker Book
Book 16 of 29 · published 2019 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Monkey Puzzle Make and Do
Book 19 of 29 · published 2020 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Snail and the Whale: Make and Do Book
Book 20 of 29 · published 2020 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
Room on the Broom: A Push, Pull and Slide Book
Book 21 of 29 · published 2020 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Singing Mermaid Make and Do
Book 23 of 29 · published 2020 Co-authored · Lydia Monks
The Snail and the Whale: A Push, Pull and Slide Book
Book 24 of 29 · published 2020 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Smeds and the Smoos Sticker Book
Book 25 of 29 · published 2020 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Smartest Giant in Town: A Push, Pull and Slide Book
Book 28 of 29 · published 2022 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Smartest Giant in Town Sticker Activity Book
Latest in the series · book 29 of 29 · published 2022 Co-authored · Axel Scheffler
The Bowerbird / Bert, the Bowerbird
Latest in the series · book 12 of 12 · published 2023
The Swoose
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1994 Anthology · Dick King-Smith,Marie Corner
Jenius: The Amazing Guinea Pig
Book 2 of 3 · published 1996 Anthology · Dick King-Smith
10 Dogs
Latest in the series · book 13 of 13 · published 2023 Anthology · Emily Gravett
Mighty Max
Series opener · book 1 of 23 · published 2018 Anthology · Carrie Weston
Jack and the Jungle
Book 6 of 23 · published 2019 Anthology · Malachy Doyle,Paddy Donnelly
Happy Birthday, Sausage!
Book 7 of 23 · published 2019 Anthology · Michaela Morgan
Cavegirl
Book 8 of 23 · published 2019 Anthology · Abie Longstaff,Shane Crampton
Get a Move On!
Book 9 of 23 · published 2019 Anthology · Ben Bailey Smith,Mette Engell
The Chocolate Unicorn
Book 10 of 23 · published 2020 Anthology · Jenny McLachlan
The Flower King
Book 12 of 23 · published 2020 Anthology · Andrew Fusek Peters,Nathan Reed
Tiger Troubles
Book 13 of 23 · published 2020 Anthology · Chitra Soundar,Hannah Marks
The Good Little Wolf
Book 14 of 23 · published 2020 Anthology · A.H. Benjamin,Sarah Aspinall
Manju's Magic Muddle
Book 16 of 23 · published 2021 Anthology · Chitra Soundar,Verónica Montoya
Let's Play, Daddy Bear!
Book 18 of 23 · published 2021 Anthology · Andy Rowland,Dawn McNiff
A Hundred and One Daffodils
Book 19 of 23 · published 2021 Anthology · Malachy Doyle,Denise Hughes
The Monster Who Was Scared of Soap
Book 22 of 23 · published 2022 Anthology · Amy Sparkes
The Lola Bee Bop
Latest in the series · book 23 of 23 · published 2022 Anthology · John Dougherty
The Puffin Book of Bedtime Stories: Big Dreams for Every Child
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2023
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Julia Donaldson?
She and her sister were always busy creating imaginary characters and mimicking the real ones, and Julia would write shows and choreograph ballets for the both of them. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes. For her fifth birthday, her dad gave her a very fat book titled “The Book of a Thousand Poems”.
Which Julia Donaldson series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Young Puffin Story series, the earliest of Julia Donaldson's multi-book series: it opens with The Swoose (1994) and runs to 3 books across 1994–2001, ending with The Dinosaur's Diary (2001). Julia Donaldson's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Julia Donaldson written?
Julia Donaldson has 433 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1970 and 2026. 227 of them belong to 14 named series — the largest being the Bug Club series with 53 books — and 206 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Julia Donaldson's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Julia Donaldson's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Young Puffin Story (1994–2001, 3 books), Gruffalo (1999–2026, 27 books) and Tales from Acorn Wood (2000–2026, 21 books), plus 10 more.
How are Julia Donaldson's books organised into series?
This guide splits Julia Donaldson's 433 books into 14 named series and 206 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Bug Club (53 books, 2001–2017); Gruffalo (27 books, 1999–2026); Bloomsbury Young Readers (23 books, 2018–2022); Tales from Acorn Wood (21 books, 2000–2026); My First Gruffalo (14 books, 2011–2020), plus 9 further series.