Five Reasons to Love Julia Donaldson.

Chances are, if you have had small children in the last ten years, you will have heard of Julia Donaldson. Her books, most famously ‘The Gruffalo’, have entertained both parents and children alike for nearly twenty years now. And for good reason. The stories are engaging, the illustrations, with several collaborators, are colourful and captivating, and the rhymes perfectly phrased and fun to read aloud.

I genuinely enjoy reading Julia Donaldson and here are some reasons why I think she should be a part of every preteen’s book shelf:

1. Some of the writing, especially the poetry, is truly brilliant.

It’s about more than just the universally appealing stories. Donaldson is able to capture ideas and reference themes from great works of literature – in a way even small children can appreciate.

Take my absolute favourite, ‘The Snail and the Whale’. As well as having a clear and imaginative moral, like most of her stories – even the smallest creature can make a difference, if they believe in themselves and don’t blindly follow the crowd Β – it also deals with the meaty literary concept of the sublime within nature, a favourite of Romantic poets such Wordsworth and Coleridge.

The opening reminds me of a text I study with A-level students – ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’. Like the snail, the mariner undertakes a perilous sea journey that leads him to experience the extremes of nature in its beauty and terror:

And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wondrous cold:
And ice, mast-high, came floating by,
As green as emerald.

 

And through the drifts the snowy clifts
Did send a dismal sheen:
Nor shapes of men nor beasts we kenβ€”
The ice was all between.

 

The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound!
Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Part I, 1984 text, Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The lines in ‘The Snail and the Whale’ are remarkably similar, and certainly capture the same sense of awe and wonder. The snail sails on the “wild and free” sea, encounters “towering icebergs” and terrifying “thunderstorms”.

the snail and the whale

 

She comes to the same conclusion too, essentially, as The Mariner does: when confronted with the sublime face of nature – the terrible and the marvellous, the terrifying and the tranquil – she is both humbled and awed by her place within it all –

 

And she gazed at the sky, the sea, the land,

The waves and the caves and the golden sand,

She gazed and gazed, amazed by it all,

And she said to the whale, “I feel so small.”

 

Granted, three year olds are not going to be making mental comparisons to Coleridge when reading. But I genuinely believe that ‘The Snail and The Whale’ can inspire a sense of how truly amazing the universe is, even in the youngest of readers.

2. Donaldson’s stories send important messages about feminism, acceptance and understanding.

Zog’s Princess Pearl is a character who refuses to wear frilly dresses and prance about the palace. Instead she shows that no one has to conform to stereotypes, or the expectations others force on them, and becomes a doctor.

The Smartest Giant in Town is so kind that he gives up the very clothes on his back to help those in dire need.

Tabby McTat’s new owners, Prunella and Pat, regardless of whether they were definitely intended to be a same-sex couple or not, reinforce and subtly normalise the idea that a family can come in any shape and size.

These are all messages we should want our children to hear.

3. The stories are aimed at children who may not be able to read yet, and, as a result, they are designed to be read out loud.

The rhythms and rhyme schemes are often dynamic. I appreciate that this can be a little daunting to some parents at first. ‘Tiddler’ and ‘The Highway Rat’ (based on the epic narrative poemΒ ‘The Highwayman’Β by Alfred Noyes) are examples of works that are slightly tricky but thrilling to read out loud.

The repetition and unusual metre in both ‘The Highwayman’ and ‘The Highway Rat’ capture the sinister galloping hooves as both protagonists advance towards their goals.

Tiddler’s ‘tall tales’ and wild stories are told with a rap-like rhythm and alliteration that enhance the colourful nature of his imagination and his adventures.

I really enjoy putting drama into the performance of a story and both my son and my daughter love it when we read to them.Β There is no shame in practising a new book in front of the mirror a few times before you go for the big bedtime performance in front of the children!

4. There is a true emotional honesty and intensity associated with so many of her stories and characters.

I am not ashamed to admit, I have been close to tears when reading ‘Stick Man’ – alone in the snow, so far from his family, not having seen them for so long; it seems like he might give up. The first time I read I willed him to get up, to keep going, toΒ find his family.

When the snail realises the whale is in dire peril, her despair that she may not be able to help him is palpable.

Likewise, when we hear of how the tiny snail, “so small and frail” saves the life of her massive friend, it is hard to stop a cheer of triumph escaping.

When the Monkey finally finds his mother in ‘Monkey Puzzle’ we feel a sense of the warmth and comfort that family brings

We care about these characters. They are succinctly and perfectly created within the space of just a few lines. They convey complex emotions so simply and they teach our children about the most important of human experiences, both difficult and rewarding.

5. Lastly, if you are a true aficionadoΒ of Donaldson’s work, specifically her collaborations with the illustrator Axel Scheffler, then searching for the illusive Gruffalos in their body of work since the publication of ‘The Gruffalo’ can be a hugely fun task to share with children.

Julia Donaldson griffalo

I have included a few of the Gruffalos we have found together above, but I will not spoil the thrill of the chase by revealing where they are. We have spent some happy times searching for them together in our household.

So, if you haven’t shared Julia Donaldson with your small children yet, particularly some of the lesser known ones which I believe are actually superior to ‘The Gruffalo’, then go out and buy one. I’d start with’The Snail and the Whale’.

 

10 Reasons to love Juila Donaldson - reviews of some of children's author Julia Donaldson's most popular books

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22 thoughts on “Five Reasons to Love Julia Donaldson.

  1. Great post, I’ve been buying books from charity shops for my little one, I’ll look out for more than just the gruffalo now! Thanks

  2. We love Julia Donaldson! I can read the Gruffalo pretty much without looking at the pages, I’ve read it so many times. We have at least 20 of her books but there’s still at least 20 that I want to get. I’m a little bit obsessed with children’s books though, my girls have a full bookcase already 😳 Great post #bloggerclubuk

  3. We love Julia Donaldson here too and I believe we had the majority of them. They are beautifully written books like you say. I really enjoyed reading this post and the links you made between her books and some classics. #BloggerClubUK

  4. This weekend we are celebrating a 3rd Birthday – and as tradition states bringing in a present for each of her nursery class mates. They will each get a Julia Donaldson book (from the 10 for 10 pound book people deal), to spread Julia Donaldson love in Spain. I hope they love her books as much as we do.

    Our favourite at the moment is the Singing Mermaid – so relaxing to read.

    1. Oh goodness, you’re right! I just pulled them all out off the bookshelf and as that one looks like it belongs I didn’t notice. I’m going to pretend it was a deliberate mistake to check who is paying attention! πŸ˜‚

  5. I have actually not heard of her, or her books, which is weird for me because I my youngest is 9 years old and I used to read to him all the time. In fact, I don’t remember seeing any of her books in his preschool classroom but she sounds amazing and her books sound like fascinating reads!

  6. lovvvve julia donaldson. i was not expecting to have such an emotional time from kids books! i may have had tears in my eyes he first (few) time(s) i read the snail and the whale! a hands down favourite with my little boy. we’re on our second copy as our first was so chewed and battered already.

    my partner stopped reading tabby mctat part way through as it was too sad and he was afraid to continue!! i had to take over and reassure him it all ended up ok! πŸ˜‚

  7. My kids love these books too……about as much as me! What the ladybird heard is my personal favourite and if I hear it in 20 years time I’m sure it’ll bring me right back here 😊😊😊

  8. Princess Pearl was the first I so read to Piglet when he was a baby and from that moment on, I was hooked. Her books are just amazing.

  9. We love the Julia Donaldson books in our house. We are trying to get them all. My favourite is Snail and the Whale as well, although the boys LOVE monkey puzzle and always cheer when they find the mum. We also love Night Monkey, Day Monkey: it really shows that two very different people from different backgrounds can be friends. I love that you have spotted a few gruffalos that we havent spotted yet, I will need to read them all again to see if I can spot them – we love that game too! Thanks for sharing πŸ™‚ xxx #bloggerclubuk

  10. I love this post, so thoughtful and I agree with all of it! I love her books and so does my two and a half year old who recites his favourites round the house. Snail and the Whale is one of my favourites, although not my son’s…he doesn’t mind it but it doesn’t capture his imagination the way it does mine! I’ve always read rhymes to him and I read somewhere, and see a lot of sense in it, that rhymes help develop language skills. But aside from that, they are just plain fab…and you’ve paid a lovely tribute to them #coolmumclub

  11. We love Julia Donaldson books, they are perfect bedtime stories. I discovered a new one quite recently called Freddie and the Fairy – I’d never heard of it, but it’s become my new favourite x

  12. The Gruffalo is the only book I’ve read of Julias. I love the sound of the rest of them & the fact that there are clear & positive messages in her books. Thanks so much for sharing with blogger club uk x

  13. Really interesting analysis! We have most of Julia and Axels books and I’m sure we’ll catch them all eventually. I know Squash and a Squeeze and Broom off by heart! The rythmns of her rhymes make them a pleasure to read and their apparent simplicity belies the work that went into creating perfection.

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