Few authors master their craft as well as Julia Donaldson has perfected hers. In a world with thousands of children’s books and limitless publishing options, Donaldson stands above the rest. Why is that?
For starters, children can be notoriously tough graders. If they don’t like a book, it sits. If they do, it’s read over and again, and again, and again. Children can’t get enough of her books. My home has hundreds of children’s books and four curious little minds. Dr. Suess is a staple, Shell Silverstein fetches his share of giggles, and Where the Wild Things Are has been worn out – twice. Julia Donaldson stands with Seuss and Silverstein for one reason: Creativity.
But just as he planned
To begin on his feast,
From out of a ditch
Rose a horrible beast.
It was tall, dark and sticky,
And feathered and furred.
It had four frightful heads,
It had wings like a bird.
And its terrible voice,
When it started to speak,
Was a yowl and a growl
And a croak and a shriek.
It dripped and it squelched
As it strode from the ditch,
And it said to the dragon,
“Buzz off! –
That’s my witch!”
The dragon drew back
And he stared to shake,
“I’m sorry!” he spluttered.
“I made a mistake.
It’s nice to have met you,
But now I must fly.”
And he spread out his wings
And was off through the sky.
Great children’s authors have a unique ability to grab children by the hand and drag them into wonderful places. It’s the ability to create places and characters and stories that light fires in children’s eyes. Morals, themes, and educational material can certainly sell books because the parents buy them, but those books will sit. Scroll the bookshelves of children and you will find the worn books are full of creations, not lessons.
A Gruffalo? What type of person wouldn’t want to read about a Gruffalo and a clever mouse? What about Charlie Cook reading his favorite book about another book, which was about another book, and so on. From start to finish the boy falls into silly and fun adventures. And when Donaldson writes about a Tyrannosaurus Rex and his grim and grisly bride, it’s hard not to root for a puny herbivore named Drip to win the day.
When Donaldson writes, she uses clever rhyming schemes. In Room on the Broom, for instance just when a fierce dragon is set to eat a very nice witch, she writes:
It’s simple and cleaver. There is nothing forced. There is no great moral dilemma or lesson. If anything, the lesson is to be nice to a witch if you come across one. The point is to engage kids and she does it beautifully.
Donaldson’s books include The Gruffalo, Monkey Puzzle, Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale, The Gruffalo’s Child, Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book, and many others. The illustrations are great – mostly by Axel Scheffler – and the stories are simple. Sometimes there is a sliver of life instruction, but it’s usually slight and agreeable. Be nice.
There isn’t a whiff of politics in her books. Donaldson sticks with what she does best, create. She clearly finds no joy in indoctrinating kids to see the world as she does, which is a relief. What she does do is bring children to books by making them fun. Masters stick to their craft, and she’s among the greats.
