Which Julia Donaldson books are most suitable for toddlers?

[Holidaydreamingg]

DC who has just turned 2 absolutely loves reading with us. Her favourite books are the Acorn Woods series and anything else with flaps in!

I’d like to get her some other Julia Donaldson board books for Christmas - which ones are the shortest/aimed at younger readers? I was thinking perhaps Tiddler, Room on the Broom and Gruffalo?

Thanks!

Toddle Waddle ❤

Tabby mctat is the Xmas film this year. It's one of my favourites.

Oh goodness yes - The Ugly Five. I sigh when that one comes off the shelf. It just doesn't flow at all and seems to go on forever. Scarecrows Wife I thought a bit odd but didn't mind so much.

I read my 2 year old the gruffalo and the snail and the whale. Getting her room on the broom for Christmas.

I think it is for slightly older children. My dc was distraught when we read it at 3.

Not Tabby McTat. My 3 year old finds it quite upsetting so I think it is better for slightly older children.

My nearly three year old loves The Smartest Giant in Town (I don't, but that's another story!) and The Rhyming Rabbit.

Sharing a Shell is lovely and available as a board book. The pictures are glittery which is nice and tactile.

Thank you all for your recommendations! xx

DC1 loved what the ladybird heard from baby age; DC2 loved stick and smartest giant in town first .Dc3 loved Monkey Puzzle first and later gruffalo. All loved Toddle Waddle and Acorn wood.

Oh, and tabby mctat for sure. We loved making up the tune for the buskers song.

Paper Dolls is for sure a bit more emotionally complex but my kids enjoyed it before the could 'get' it.

There's one about a flumflum tree which they also liked, but maybe from 3ish.

She has a few longer books but almost any would be great and don't forget the Christmas gift can last all year so even if she doesn't enjoy them right now she may grow into them.

If you can I'd say get to a bookshop or library and look at them yourself. Much more chance she'll enjoy them if you do and therefore read them enthusiastically (even if you are eventually bored of them...hello snail on the whale)

Snail and whale.
Smeds and smoos.
Stick man - christmas classic.

They also have some film versions on BBC iplayer

There's a Julia Donaldson collection that our daughter was given when she was born and it's absolutely lovely it has about 10 books and apparently is usually £70 but I always see it for £20ish.

I need to buy the stick man

My little boy is 31 months and he's loved the following since 18 months old:

Stick man
Room on the broom
Tiddler
Squash and a squeeze
Gruffalo
Gruffalos child
Snail and the whale
Supereorm

We have to read Room on the Broom every. Single. Night (ugh lol) and he can pretty much recite it himself now. so much so he picked it up the other day and 'read' it to me. Haha not exactly but he was saying it from memory and any outsider witnessing it might have (mistakenly) thought he was a genius super early reader haha

Obviously I mean superworm! Damn weird auto correct going on there!!

The detective dog is also lovely and no one has mentioned hat yet, it's also about a love of reading. I wasn't a fan of the ugly 5 or tabby mctat, but we have read all of them to DD from birth. The rhyming sentences are particularly good for kids. DD Learnt to read at a really young age as we have been so enthusiastic about reading, and I think her books are really good for that, we are both teachers and avid readers tho too.
There's a version of what the ladybird heard set at Xmas too.

The best are:
Tiddler
Zog
Room on the Broom
Snail and the Whale
Gruffalo

Don’t buy StickMan it upset my DC so much.

Monkey Puzzle board book was our favourite at that age, but Gruffalo, Snail and Whale, Zog, Room on Broom also very suitable from my experience. I can still recite some of them despite my kids now being late teens!

Monkey Puzzle is one of our favourite books. Maybe not for toddlers but such a fun book for when a little older :)

I loooove monkey puzzle and my son loved it at 2 and still does now at 3. You can get board book version too 😄

The Singing Mermaid is another good one 🧜‍♀️

Monkey Puzzle for sure.

I think Tiddler and Snail and the Whale are fine but on the slightly older side.

I also adore Cave Baby. The illustrations are beautiful.

I would avoid "the ugly 5" (why would you introduce the word and concept of ugly to toddlers? and "the baddies" which is absolutely terrifying for little ones!

Sharing a shell. 100% for a two year old.

One of my DD's first sentences was "... a TWOOWY MAGNIFICENT BWOOM!"

😁

The everywhere bear is lovely