Julia Donaldson
Recognized in the Creative Minds Montessori 2026 Teacher’s Choice list.
Julia Donaldson is one of roughly one hundred authors whose work was selected by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list — 120 books chosen across four reading stages, from first lap-reads to first chapter books. The selected book was chosen for how precisely it meets children at a real developmental moment. This recognition cannot be bought: no author or publisher paid to appear on our lists, and we take no commission on any book sale.
About Julia Donaldson
Julia Donaldson, former UK Children's Laureate, is the best-selling author in Britain full stop — The Gruffalo alone has sold over 13 million copies. Her rhyming plots are built with a songwriter's engineering: every stanza earns its page turn.
Donaldson spent years busking and writing songs for children's television; when one song, 'A Squash and a Squeeze,' became a book in her forties, she discovered her true form — and met illustrator Axel Scheffler, the other half of the magic.
Also by this author: Room on the Broom · Stick Man · The Snail and the Whale
Official website: www.juliadonaldson.co.uk
Selected for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list
Part of The Best Children’s Books by Age, chosen by the teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX.