Audio
On this page you will find:
Audio Fiction books
Audio Picture Books
Song Books with tapes or CDs
CDs for grown ups
Fiction
The Giants and the Joneses
With Helen Lederer
BBC Audio Books,
isbn 978-1844405503
My longest book! And it is going to be made into a film by Warner Brothers and Heyday Productions (the team behind the Harry Potter films.)
It’s for 7-11-year olds, and I hope will reach those who loved the Gruffalo but now want something more challenging.
Inspired by my son Alastair, who as a child was an avid collector of anything and everything, it tells the story of three human children (or “iggly plops” in giant language) and a girl giant, Jumbeelia, who first collects and then neglects them. Stranded in the land of giants, the Joneses find themselves at the mercy of Jumbeelia’s sadistic brother Zab, and have to draw on all their resources to hatch an escape plan. The book features an invented language, Groilish, and there is a dictionary at the back. The line drawings are by Paul Hess.
If you'd like to have a go at the the Groilish quiz and worksheet, click groilish.pdf to download it then print it out.
"so good in so many ways that it’s hard to know where to start… Donaldson’s stroke of genius is Groilish, the giants’ wonderfully onomatopoeic language… this adventure is set to be a giant hit." The Herald
Princess Mirror-Belle
With June Whitfield
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405050944
The idea for this book came from my oldest son Hamish whose reflection was his imaginary friend.
Ellen’s reflection announces that she is a princess, and she turns out to be a very boastful and bossy one, who climbs out of the mirror and gets shy Ellen into all sorts of unexpected adventures. There are six stories in the book, and in each one Mirror-Belle appears from a different mirror.
"A pinkly perfect story for all little girls with an imaginary friend and a hidden naughty streak" The Guardian
Princess Mirror-Belle and the Magic Shoes
With Sophie Thomson
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405088619
“They’re magic shoes," said Princess Mirror-Belle. "As soon as I put them on, my feet start dancing and I can’t stop till the soles are worn out."
Six stories for 6-9-year-olds, recounting the further adventures of Ellen and her boastful mirror image, Princess Mirror-Belle.
Princess Mirror-Belle and the Flying Horse
With Sophie Thompson
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405088596
“My horse’s name is Little Lord Lightning. He’s been suffering from wing-ache recently.”
Five more stories for 6-9-year-olds about Ellen and her tyrannical friend who appears out of mirrors and claims to come from a mysterious, faraway palace.
The Dinosaur’s Diary
With Emma Chambers
Puffin,
isbn 978-0141804408
A novel for 6-9-year-olds
When I was a child I went to a lecture about dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, and was amazed to learn that the most of them were not giants but about the size of a hen.
The Dinosaur’s Diary is about one of these small creatures, who lives in perpetual terror of T Rex and the like.
When she falls into a mysterious pool and finds herself on a modern farm, things don’t get any easier. How do you
keep thirteen growing baby dinosaurs safe and secret?
"canters along, full of fun and energy." The Scotsman
Picture Books:
A Squash and a Squeeze (story and song)
With Imelda Staunton, Steven Pacey and Julia Donaldson
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405050524
“Wise old man, won’t you help me, please?
My house is a squash and a squeeze.”
This was my first book, published in 1993, but it started its life earlier still, as a song which I wrote for children’s
television. I sing the part of the little old lady in the audio version of the song.
"a bit of a classic…. a goat on the bed and a cow on the table tapping out a jig? My readers collapsed in heaps, and then had to have it read again. And again." Vivian French in The Guardian
The Gruffalo (story and song)
With Imelda Staunton
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405005180
This won the 2002 Spoken Book award for best children’s audio
A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood.
A fox saw the mouse and the mouse looked good.
Walk further into the deep dark wood, and discover what happens when the quick-thinking mouse comes face to face with an owl, a snake and a hungry gruffalo . . .
"a modern classic" The Observer
Monkey Puzzle (story and song)
With Imelda Staunton
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405050517
This won a silver Spoken Book award in 2003.
“I’ve lost my mum!”
“Hush, little monkey, don’t you cry,
I’ll help you find her,” said Butterfly.
But somehow Butterfly keeps getting it wrong. Will Monkey ever find his mum?
"The really outstanding new animal picture book for children over two… it will make you all laugh over and over again." The Independent on Sunday
Room on the Broom (story and song)
with Josie Lawrence
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405047302
This won the 2003 Spoken Book award for best Under Six audio.
How the cat purred and how the witch grinned
As they sat on their broomstick and flew through the wind.
But how many passengers will one broomstick take? And what about the dragon who fancies “witch and chips” for
tea?
"Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler have come up with another gem… we loved it." The Independent
The Smartest Giant in Town (story and song)
With Imelda Staunton, Jim Carter and Steven Pacey
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405050500
This won the 2004 Spoken Book award for best Under Six audio.
George wishes he wasn’t the scruffiest giant in town. So when he sees a new shop selling giant-size clothes he
decides it’s time for a new look. But on his way home he meets various animals who desperately need his help .
. . and his clothes!
"My absolute favourite of this year’s picture books… Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler are a combination made in heaven." The Independent on Sunday.
"Who could resist?" The Sunday Times
The Snail and the Whale (story and song)
With Imelda Staunton
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405050531
The sea snail slithered all over the rock
And gazed at the sea and the ships in the dock.
And as she gazed she sniffed and sighed.
“The sea is deep and the world is wide!
How I long to sail”
Said the tiny snail.
This is probably my favourite of all the books I have written for Axel Scheffler to illustrate, perhaps because I feel I have captured something of the soulful whimsy of the Edward Lear poems I enjoyed as a child.
It won the 2004 spoken Book award for best Under Six audio.
"Bold and brilliant, wise and wacky." The Times
"A joy to read aloud." The Guardian
The Gruffalo's Child (Story and Song)
With Imelda Staunton
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405052290
The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should
Ever set foot in the deep dark wood.
Charlie Cook's Favourite Book
With Imelda Staunton and Steven Pacey
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405092005
A book-within-a-book-within-a-book-within-a-book . . . complete with pirates, ghosts, knights and aliens.
“Younger readers will delight in the drama of Donaldson’s vivacious rhyming text” Guardian
“a glorious celebration of books and reading” Scotsman
Tiddler
with Imelda Staunton
Alison Green Books,
isbn 978-1407109886
Tiddler tells the tallest tales in the ocean, so who will believe him when he really gets caught in a net?
This audio CD lets you hear the full story with music, play Tiddler's Underwater Exploring Game and sing along to the Tiddler song. It also includes a readalong version of the story with musical page turns to use with a copy of the book.
Stick Man
with Imelda Staunton
Alison Green Books,
isbn 978-1407117300
The CD lets you hear the full story with music, play The Stick Man Action Game and sing along to the Stick Man song. It also includes a readalong version of the story with musical page turns to use with a copy of the book.
Tabby McTat (Story Game and Song)
with Imelda Staunton
Alison Green Books (book and CD)
isbn 978-1407124551
Tabby McTat is a busker’s cat. He loves his life with Fred, singing along as people throw coins in their hat. Then one day Fred has an accident and the two are separated. How will they every find each other again? A touching story of friendship, loyalty, singing - and kittens!
“The latest sure-fire bestseller from Julia & Axel is the story of Tabby McTat the busker’s cat. Can you feel the text tripping from your tongue already? Julia’s trademark rhythmic verse will entertain parent and child alike while Axel’s illustrations provide something to pore over time and time again.” The Bookseller
Zog (Story game and song)
with Imelda Staunton
Alison Green Books, (Book and CD)
isbn 978 1407130019
Zog is the keenest dragon in school. He's also the most accident-prone. Luckily, a mysterious little girl always comes by and patches up his bumps and bruises. But will she be able to help him with his toughest test: capturing a princess??
Zog won the Galaxy Book Award in 2010 and the Oxfordshire Book Award 2011.
"The Gruffalo duo do it again with this fable about a dragon, a knight and a damsel in distress, none of them the stock characters we know from fairytale. Donaldson’s rhymes and Scheffler’s illustrations mesh sublimely." Financial Times
"The Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler dream team returns with the tale of Zog, a keen yet accident-prone dragon… Look out for cameos from The Gruffalo in Scheffler’s rich illustrations." Independent on Sunday
Tales from Acorn Wood
with Imelda Staunton
Macmillan (Book and CD),
isbn 978 02300 14275
This is a compilation of three rhyming lift-the-flap books, Rabbit’s Nap, Postman Bear and Hide-and-Seek Pig, with a CD where you can hear Imelda Staunton reading the stories
Sharing a Shell (Story and Song)
read by Julian Clary
Macmillan (book and CD),
isbn 978-1405090445
Look! A crab, a crab with no shell,
Running along by the sea . . .
When the little hermit crab finds a shiny new shell he doesn’t want to share it – not with a blobby purple anemone and a tickly bristleworm. Join Crab, Blob and Brush in the rock pool for a sparkly story of sea, shells and friendship.
The Princess and the Wizard
With Imelda Staunton
Macmillan (book and CD),isbn 978-0230529175
A fairy story about colours
By changing her colour and changing her shape
The princess may try seven times to escape.
But each time Princess Eliza changes – into a blue fish, a yellow chick, a red fox or a black cat – the wicked wizard finds her and sets her another horrible task. Will this plucky princess be able to outwit him and escape back to the palace in time to cut her birthday cake?
“an exceptionally pleasing replay of a familiar story” – The Guardian
What the Ladybird Heard (Story and Song)
With Alexander Armstrong
Macmillan (book and CD)isbn 978-0230746527
Two crafty robbers, one tiny ladybird and a whole farmyard of fun! Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len have a cunning plan to steal the farmer’s prize cow. But they reckon without the tiniest, quietest creature of all: she has a plan of her own.
“Classic Julia Donaldson rhyming text makes this farmyard tale bound along” The Bookseller
... a terrific and witty adventure told in Julia Donaldson’s trademark rhyming couplets. Lydia Monks’ original and stylised farmyard fits the story perfectly.” The Guardian
Tyrannosurus Drip (Story and Song)
with Imelda Staunton, Julia and Malcolm
Macmillan (book and CD)isbn 978-0230704145
Whoever heard of a vegetarian T Rex? When a baby Duckbill dinosaur ends up in the Tyrannosaurus nest, he feels very out of place, and his gruesome new family nickname him Drip. But this little dinosaur is not as weedy as he looks. In fact, he's a real hero!
"A honking, hooting success" The Bookseller
“The roaring, hooting, monster success of the season” The Times
“rollicks along very engrossingly” Independent
“Comic, dynamic and charming” Sunday Times
The Troll
with Alex Jennings
Macmillan (Book and CD)isbn 978-0230704107
The Troll longs for a juicy goat to eat – but he’s stuck with boring old fish for supper. Bother! Meanwhile, Hank Chief and his pirate crew love fish, but without a decent recipe their slimy, soggy dinner is even worse. If only they could find their buried treasure and pay for a ship’s cook... but it seems they’ve sailed to the wrong island. Again. Watch the fun unfold as two very different worlds collide.
"An ingenious, lively creation, guaranteed not to get anybody's goat" The Observer
Jack and the Flumflum Tree
with David Tennant
Macmillan (book and CD),
isbn 978-0230763937
Jack’s Granny is sick with a bad case of the moozles! And the only cure is the fruit of the fantastic flumflum tree which grows on the faraway Isle of Blowyernose. It’s a perilous journey, but Jack bravely sets sail, with a motley crew of only three – and a large patchwork sack that Granny has filled with an odd assortment of items from chewing-gum to tent pegs. But what use will they be against hungry sharks, a leaky boat and a thieving monkey . . .?
"There are hints of Edward Lear’s verse in this funny, appealing and imaginative picture book. Julia Donaldson’s engaging text is perfectly accompanied by beautiful and quirky illustrations by David Roberts" Booktrust
"The rhythmic refrain . . . had my twin baby boys clapping their hands in merriment, and the gleeful-looking characters help the story deal with courage and altruism in the lightest of ways" Daily Telegraph
Winner of the Stockport Schools Book Awards and shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards
Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose
with Michael Fenton-Stevens
Macmillan (book and CD),isbn 978-0230532274
“Chocolate mouse!” says greedy Goose.
“Don’t just grab it,” says angry Rabbit.
Good manners aren’t on the menu at this meal. Duck won’t eat his carrots, Moth is eating the cloth, and Sheep would rather sleep than wash the dishes.
A simple and funny rhyming story with extra tough pages for toddlers
“It's another winner” Evening Standard
Hippo Has a Hat
with Michael Fenton-Stevens
Macmillan (book and CD),
isbn 978-0230532298
“Lots of clothes! Let’s try them.
Maybe we can buy them.”
There’s chaos in the clothes shop when the animals go on a glorious shopping spree.
A simple rhyming picture book with extra tough pages for toddlers.
One Mole Digging a Hole
with Michael Fenton-Stevens reading the story and Julia and Malcolm singing the song
Macmillan (book and CD),
isbn 978-0230708402
All the animals are busy lending a hand in the garden in this rhyming counting book. The parrots are pulling up carrots, the bears are picking pears and a swarm of bees are pruning the trees with their miniature shears.
Wriggle and Roar
with Justin Fletcher
Macmillan(book and CD pack),
isbn 978-0230532267
Whenever I’m tired of being me
I swing around like a chimpanzee.
Seventeen lively rhymes which children can join in, either with noises or actions.
"will animate, engage and stimulate babies and have nursery classes jumping about with noisy enthusiasm."The Sunday Times (Book of the Week)
Night Monkey, Day Monkey
with Imelda Staunton
Egmont (book and CD),
isbn 9-781405234375
Hey!” said Day Monkey. “There’s a banana!
How can it manage to fly?”
Night Monkey laughed and said, “Don’t be daft,
That banana’s the moon in the sky.”
Night Monkey and Day Monkey’s worlds are as different as . . . night and day! But in laughing at each other’s misunderstandings they learn to be the best of friends.
"A charmingly rhythmic poem… a clever way of reassuring small children about night-time." The Evening Standard
"Reassuring and funny, this is ideal bedtime reading for bright children." The Independent on Sunday.
One Ted Falls Out of Bed
with Saskia Wickham
Macmillan (book and CD pack),isbn 978-0230707702
A rhyming counting cum adventure story
"Another little miracle from Julia Donaldson… it has the robust feel of a classic." The Bookseller
Rosie’s Hat
With Saskia Wickham
Macmillan (book and CD pack),isbn 978-0230532311
One little girl, one smart hat, a sudden gust of wind . . . and we're off on a whole hatful of adventures!
A rhyming story with sound effects for children to join in with.
“The simple rhyming text is perfect for younger children whilst the older child will enjoy the adventure and twist to the tale.” Children's Buyers Guide
The Cave Baby
With Imelda Staunton
Macmillan (book and CD pack),isbn 978-0230754553
A big hairy mammoth takes a cheeky little baby on a thrilling moonlit journey. But where are they going? And what has it to do with the baby’s scribbling on the cave wall? The CD features both the story and the song.
“An exuberant, rhyming text matched by equally lively illustrations makes this a romp of a bedtime story.” The Guardian
Song Books
The Gruffalo Song and Other Songs
Macmillan,
isbn 978-1405022347
As well as the Gruffalo’s very own song, there are eight other action songs and story songs, all perfect for joining in with. They are sung by me with a live band, and there is also an instrumental-only version at the end if you fancy doing some Karaoke.
Click the play button for the Funny Face chorus
Room on the Broom and Other Songs
Macmillan,
isbn 978 - 1405091015
As well as the “Room on the Broom” song, this CD includes the Giant’s song from “The Smartest Giant in Town”, plus a “Snail and the Whale” song and six other story and action songs, all fun to join in with. I sing them, along with my husband Malcolm and a great live band, and at the end there is an instrumental-only (“karaoke”) version.
The Gruffalos's Child and Other Songs
Macmillanisbn 978-1447213741
As well as The Gruffalo’s Child song the CD contains eight other songs, including the Stick Man song and one based on Charlie Cook’s favourite book. I sing them along with my husband Malcolm accompanied by a live band. At the end there is an instrumental-only (“karaoke”) version.
CDs for Grown Ups
First Fourteen
This CD contains fourteen of the “grown-up” songs, which I wrote and performed in folk clubs and on the radio with my husband Malcolm. Subjects range from the board game Monopoly to the joys of pasta-eating and there is also a song, sung by Malcolm, called “Cochon Blues” which was played as one of my choices when I was on the Radio 4 programme, Desert Island Discs.
This album was recorded when we were in our twenties and has recently been remastered as a CD. It costs £10 including postage and packing.
Click here to view the lyrics of First Fourteen.
Order online through Coach House Publications
Second Fourteen
Fourteen more of my songs for grown-ups, including “Action Man and Sindy Doll” and “Three-Burglary Family”. The songs, recorded recently, are arranged by Andrew Dodge and performed by Malcolm and myself along with several professional musicians. There is a guest spot (on “Dear Father Christmas”) by my niece Imogen Moore. The CD costs £10 including postage and packing,
Order online through Coach House Publications