Julia Donaldson Author Spotlight: Books, Stage Shows & Family Adventures

Julia Donaldson’s stories have a habit of refusing to stay on the page. They become theatre shows, animated Christmas favourites, woodland trails, family attractions and days out — which makes her work a particularly lovely fit for Clarissa’s Corner. This author spotlight brings those connections together in one place, from The Gruffalo and Stick Man to Zog, Room on the Broom, The Smeds and the Smoos and more.

Who Is Julia Donaldson?

Julia Donaldson is a British children’s author, songwriter and performer whose work spans picture books, songs, educational titles and live performance. She served as Children’s Laureate from 2011 to 2013, was awarded a CBE for services to literature in 2019, and was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to literature in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours.

Her stories are especially well known for rhyme, rhythm, repetition and characters that work brilliantly when read aloud — which helps explain why so many have made the leap into theatre and animation.

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Many of Julia Donaldson’s best-known books were created with illustrator Axel Scheffler. Their collaborations include The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Room on the Broom, Stick Man, Zog, The Highway Rat, Superworm, Tabby McTat and The Smeds and the Smoos.

One particularly lovely connection is that Stick Man grew from the little stick toy Axel Scheffler drew for the Gruffalo’s Child. Julia has said that image helped spark the idea for a story about stick people.

More Illustrators in Julia Donaldson’s World

Axel Scheffler may be the collaboration many readers recognise first, but Julia Donaldson has worked with a much wider group of illustrators. These include Lydia Monks, Nick Sharratt, David Roberts, Rebecca Cobb, Sara Ogilvie, Helen Oxenbury, Catherine Rayner, Emily Gravett and many more.

That opens the door to a much broader author guide, including books such as Sharing a Shell, The Singing Mermaid, What the Ladybird Heard and Sugarlump and the Unicorn, rather than making this page only about the Gruffalo universe.

Books to Start With

• The Gruffalo – the deep dark wood classic and the starting point for a huge world of adaptations and family experiences.
• The Gruffalo’s Child – the snowy sequel and a story we have seen live on stage.
• Stick Man – a family-tree adventure that has become both a festive animation and a long-running stage favourite.
• Room on the Broom – witches, friendship, a dragon and one very overloaded broomstick.
• Zog – a dragon-school story that turns familiar fairy-tale roles on their heads.
• The Smeds and the Smoos – a colourful story about difference, family and finding common ground.
• The Baddies – three would-be villains discover that being the biggest baddie is not as straightforward as it sounds.
• A Squash and a Squeeze – Julia Donaldson’s first published book, originally developed from one of her songs.

New for 2026: Gruffalo Granny

From Page to Screen

Magic Light Pictures has brought a growing collection of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler stories to television, including The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Room on the Broom, Stick Man, The Highway Rat and Superworm. These adaptations are a useful bridge for children who already know the books — and a lovely way to compare how the same story changes between page, screen and stage.

Julia Donaldson on Stage

Clarissa’s Corner already has a growing archive of Julia Donaldson theatre. Rather than replacing older coverage, we keep those visits and productions as part of the site’s history while linking them to current guides when a show returns.

Tall Stories and the Theatre Connection

Tall Stories is another important name in the stage life of Julia Donaldson’s books. The company has created productions including The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale and The Smeds and the Smoos. The latter was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Family Show in 2024.

This gives us another useful route for future theatre coverage: when one of these productions returns, we can link the current guide back to this author spotlight and preserve earlier reviews separately.

Accessibility and Inclusive Theatre

There is also a strong accessibility connection. Tall Stories created The Gruffalo BSL+, an inclusive version performed by deaf and hearing actors blending spoken English, British Sign Language and visual storytelling. That makes Julia Donaldson adaptations a natural fit not only for Theatre & Culture, but also for Clarissa’s Corner accessibility and SEN coverage.

Where current productions offer BSL, relaxed, audio-described or other accessible performances, we will include those details in the individual show guides rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought.

Days Out & Family Adventures

The stories also work brilliantly as real-world family adventures. Forestry England has hosted Gruffalo and other Donaldson/Scheffler themed activities, while licensed attractions include Gruffalo and Zog experiences. For autumn 2026, The Gruffalo Art Adventure at Knole adds a sculpture trail plus a separate bookable film screening and playtime on 24–25 October. We will use this section to connect current trails, attractions and special events as they appear.

More family adventures: The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure at Chessington, the Realm of Zog at Warwick Castle and The Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse in Blackpool are also useful connections for future coverage.

Learning Through Julia Donaldson

There is a strong Education & Creative Futures connection here too. The rhyme and repetition in Julia Donaldson’s books make them useful for reading aloud, prediction, vocabulary and performance. Her own work as Children’s Laureate championed libraries, storytelling and children performing stories, which gives us plenty of scope for simple drama, book-to-stage and adaptation activities.

Tall Stories also provides educational resources around productions such as The Smeds and the Smoos, using theatre to explore drama, English, music, art and themes around difference and understanding others.

Mythology, Drama and Older Readers

Julia Donaldson’s work is not limited to picture books for very young children. She has written plays for schools and older readers too. Books and Crooks and Other Plays contains four plays for children aged 10+, including Persephone, based on the Greek myth and designed so a whole class can perform it, complete with songs.

That makes a particularly interesting bridge between Books & Adaptations and Education & Creative Futures: mythology, drama, performance, adaptation and classroom creativity all meeting in the same place.

Songs, Audio and Storytelling

Music runs through Julia Donaldson’s work too. Some stories began with songs, while others have accompanying songs or audio editions. This gives us room to include audiobooks, music and storytelling products alongside printed books when they genuinely add something useful for families.

Shop the Stories

Affiliate disclosure: some shopping links on Clarissa’s Corner are affiliate links. If you buy through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only add products where they make sense alongside the story, show or activity.

We are building this section around useful ways to continue a story at home: original books, board books for younger readers, activity and sticker books, audio editions, Tonies and selected adaptations.

Stick Man

• Stick Man book – Amazon affiliate link
• Stick Man sticker book – Amazon affiliate link

Still to match with our affiliate accounts: The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Room on the Broom, Zog, The Smeds and the Smoos, Superworm, The Highway Rat, Tabby McTat, The Baddies, A Squash and a Squeeze, Books and Crooks and Other Plays and The Amazing World of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

Read, Watch, See, Experience

The aim of this spotlight is simple: if a child loves one of the stories, there should be an easy route to find what comes next — read the book, watch the adaptation, see it live, visit an experience or discover another story from the same creative world.

This is a living Clarissa’s Corner author guide. Current shows, events and attractions will be added without overwriting our older reviews and archive coverage.

Julia Donaldson FAQs

Is Julia Donaldson a Dame?

Yes. Julia Donaldson was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to literature in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours.

What are Julia Donaldson’s best-known books?

Her best-known books include The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Stick Man, Room on the Broom, Zog, The Smeds and the Smoos and many more.

Who illustrates The Gruffalo books?

Axel Scheffler illustrates The Gruffalo and many of Julia Donaldson’s best-known picture books.

Are Julia Donaldson books adapted for stage and screen?

Yes. Many have been adapted into theatre productions and animated films, including The Gruffalo, Stick Man, Room on the Broom, Zog and The Smeds and the Smoos.

More Books & Adaptations