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Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

Original poster

Best & worst Julia Donaldson book? (In your opinion)

247 replies

Mummy2022FT · 27/07/2023 19:24

Just interested.

For me I love Tabby McTat and Smeds & the Smoos. Least favourite is Stickman.

Wbu?

OP posts:
cisisaslur · 27/07/2023 22:26

Smartest giant in town

thatone · 27/07/2023 22:30

Best: Snail and the Whale ( Charlie Cook's Favourite Book is a close second).
Worst: Don't love Zog but don't think it's a bad book.

notagainfml · 27/07/2023 22:31

Monkey puzzle has a page (the spider one) that I find really uncomfortable to read out loud so that's least favourite.

Tiddler is great and I'll go against the grain here with tyrannosaurus drip as I find that lots of fun to read!

Original poster
Mummy2022FT · 27/07/2023 22:34

Yes I know exactly what page you're talking about

OP posts:
Leapintothelightning · 27/07/2023 22:46

Oh my I love so many of them it's hard to choose!

Favourites: Night Monkey Day Monkey, Charlie Cook, A Squash and A Squeeze, The Smeds & The Smoos, The Snail and the Whale

Least favourites: The Smartest Giant in Town (agree with PPs re scarf/giraffe), Spinderella, Cave Baby, The Princess and the Wizard

I have a strong dislike for Stick Man now but that is purely because it was DD's favourite for so long I just recite it from memory!

Leapintothelightning · 27/07/2023 22:47

OneHornedFlyingPurplePeopleEater · 27/07/2023 21:19

We've read highway rat almost every night (excluding the odd night out) for 2.5 years...so far.
I'm a bit fed up with it, but I think I'll always have a soft spot for it.

Love smeds and the smoos, gruffalos child, paper dolls...most of them really.

Except...Hamiltons hats and the smartest giant in town. Hate it when the kids pick either of those!

Ughhh Hamiltons Hats! Not actually a JD although DH bought it because he saw the Axel Scheffler illustrations and assumed it was. DD was obsessed with it for a while and I hate it!

Sheezus · 27/07/2023 22:54

Can't pick a favourite,
I can probably recite many from memory and I'm very nostalgic reading some of these.
The Highway rat is terrible though.

Holliejollie22 · 27/07/2023 23:02

Can’t believe how little love the Highway Rat and Tabby McTat are getting - both firm favourites in this house.

Although Room on the Broom is probably my all time favourite - my youngest always asked for ‘Whoosh’ before he could talk properly.

Agree Spinderella is probably the dullest to read but even at her worst JD is still usually miles better than some other books we have.

Holliejollie22 · 27/07/2023 23:04

@ReeseWitherfork great effort on the charts by the way, so interesting to compare each books position on favourite and least favourite

Zampa · 27/07/2023 23:10

I HATE Tiddler with an unabated passion. Not keen on The Ugly Five either

I love Paper Dolls and The Princess and the Wizard but think Snail and the Whale is my favourite.

NotBasically · 27/07/2023 23:24

The worst one has to be a squash and a squeeze, the epitome of mansplaining.

smilesup · 27/07/2023 23:30

Love Tabby Mctat, and the snail and the whale

Cannot abide the Smartest Giant in town or the Highway Rat.

rumnraisinrocks · 27/07/2023 23:36

I like Sharing a shell and Room on the broom

Not keen on Highway Rat

Tr1skel1on · 27/07/2023 23:40

Sharing a Shell here, my DD is about to turn 16 and we can still both recite it

Ciochan · 27/07/2023 23:45

Admittedly we've not read a lot of the books other than the Axel Scheffler ones, but I'm struggling to see how any of them can be worse than The Girl, The Bear and the Magic Shoes.

Girl buys shoes, is immediately chased by an angry looking bear through various terrains, upon which the shoes magic themselves into appropriate footwear like skis or flippers to help her escape with her life. What has the girl done to deserve this mortal peril? Why is she being chased up and down a mountain etc by a terrifying bear?

She left her old shoes in the shoe shop and the shopkeeper asked the bear to give them back to her.

But why was the bear in the shoe shop, asked precisely nobody? Oh, HA HA, it was a mistake! He meant to go to the fish shop but went into the shoe shop by accident! HA! HA! Let's have a dance! What a HILARIOUS MISUNDERSTANDING.

Someone gave the book to us as a gift and my jaw literally dropped when we got to the reason for the chase. I'm not sure if the book has already been disappeared but I'd happily burn it 🤣

English Story Time - The girl, the bear and the magic shoes by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks

A magical story about Josephine a girl who needs some new shoes, she soon finds that her shoes are magical and that a bear has started to follow her. What do...

https://youtu.be/drvzhvQupqM

Flipflops123 · 27/07/2023 23:55

Favourite - paper dolls and what the ladybird heard

Worst - highway rat

soundsys · 28/07/2023 07:02

Excited101 · 27/07/2023 21:19

I love a squash and a squeeze, me and DP quote it to each other regularly 😳 snail and the whale is also a favourite.

I don’t understand how people can’t rhyme giraffe and scarf, I guess it’s accent dependent. I do hate the smartest giant in town though- he was so happy in his new clothes! The first time I read it, I thought the animals were going to buy/make him some new clothes after he gave them all his… I’ve never quite got over the fact that they didn’t. You’re allowed to feel pride in how you look and feel!

I don’t like Charlie cook. And I don’t like tyrannosaurus drip. I hate the paper dolls too, never got why it’s so loved.

Because scarf has an 'r' in it! (Which is pronounced in my accent) So I always end up with a gi-rarf unless I remember to say 'scarf' in a southern accent 😁

sandgrown · 28/07/2023 07:09

Love Charlie Cook’s favourite book, The Smartest Giant in Town and Stickman. Not keen on Tiddler .

Brody77 · 28/07/2023 07:45

I love snail and whale and sharing a shell and zig and the flying doctors and room on the broom, hate monkey puzzle followed by smartest giant. Dd loved Charlie cook and my mum’s favourite is squash and a squeeze, my dad’s super worn- something for everyone!

Backtothe90splease · 28/07/2023 07:54

I HATE the paper dolls. I read it to my son and thought it was quite nice until an unamed 'bad boy' just comes along and destroys the dolls. No context, nothing. Just; there's a male character, he's a dick. My son was super confused about this and I found such a lazy stereotype. It makes me a bit angry.

I also hate the Ugly Five. I don't want the concept of 'ugly' introduced to my very small children tbh. The moral of the story is that they are ugly but loved anyway, wtf? My kids were like... But why would it matter what they look like at all? And I have to agree.

I like Tiddler, Tabby McTat, Squash and Squeeze the best.

Backtothe90splease · 28/07/2023 07:54

Oh and Charlie Cook I like that too.

Cakeorchocolate · 28/07/2023 08:06

Room on the broom is my favourite.
MIL loves the singing mermaid.

Least favourite superworm, but I dont like bugs and insects etc so I think that's why rather than the actual book!
Not a big fan of the highway rat for some reason either.

I agree the smoking part ruins the scarecrows wedding.

WaitingfortheTardis · 28/07/2023 08:09

@soundsys When I say giraffe it does sound like there is a slight 'r' in it, like in scarf for me. I'm not sure what my accent is exactly, a blend of SW, S and SE I suppose. Isn't it interesting how some words change depending on accent, whereas others seem to stay the same. Perhaps JD has a similar accent to me 😁

drunkpeacock · 28/07/2023 08:28

Best, I have loads.
Squash and a squeeze or smartest giant in town probably though.

Worst has got to be Spinderella or the princess and the wizard.

primaspiderina · 28/07/2023 08:57

I love tiddler
Worst is squash and a squeeze IMO