- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Comedy
Superworm
Part of Julia Donaldson & Axel SchefflerView the full series
Part of the Julia Donaldson universeOpen the collection
A superhero-style rhyming romp with a heroic worm, lots of chanting and a satisfying team rescue.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Rhyming
- Repetitive
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Warm
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Superworm is super-long and super-strong, and all the garden creatures know they can rely on him. He rescues friends, becomes a skipping rope, a lasso and anything else the day requires. But when the wicked Wizard Lizard and his crow servant kidnap Superworm and force him to search for treasure, the other creatures have to work together to save the hero who has always saved them. The book is joyful, chant-like and very easy to perform aloud, with repeated cries of 'Superworm!' that children quickly adopt. It has the structure of a tiny superhero adventure but the warmth of a friendship story: even the strongest helper needs help sometimes. Axel Scheffler's bugs, beetles, bees and villains give the garden world plenty of comic visual energy.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 3–7
- Independent · 5–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Superheroes
- Bugs
- Teamwork
- Chanting read aloud
- Funny action
Avoid if
- Dislikes insects
- Wants calm quiet bedtime only
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Making friends
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's modern rhyming classics — the gold standard of join-in read-alouds, ideal for prediction, sequencing and performing.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is the chant — every page involves a different small creature shouting 'Superworm! Superworm!' for a rescue, and a four-year-old joins in instantly. The garden world Donaldson builds is satisfyingly small-scale: bees, beetles, spiders, all relying on one worm who turns out to need them back when it matters.
- Making a difference
- Animal companions
- Surviving danger
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
Lighter and more action-packed than the other Donaldson staples — the small-heroes-save-the-big-hero structure gives the book a moral payoff cleaner than most picture books. A reliable Donaldson for the three-to-five shelf; the Netflix adaptation has made it familiar before the book even comes out of the bag.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Bedtime appropriate
- Conversation starter
In the series
Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler.
14 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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