- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Fantasy
Zog and the Flying Doctors
Book 2 of 2 in ZogView the full series
Part of the Julia Donaldson universeOpen the collection
A satisfying Zog sequel that gives Princess Pearl a proper vocation as a doctor and gently challenges old-fashioned ideas about what princesses should do. Great for children who like dragons, medical play and helpful heroes.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Rhyming
- Repetitive
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Princess Pearl, Sir Gadabout and Zog are now a flying doctor team, travelling through the kingdom to help mermaids, lions, unicorns and anyone else in need. But when Pearl's uncle the king decides that princesses should not be doctors, he locks her in the palace and tries to force her into a more traditional royal role. His plan does not go well, especially when he becomes ill himself and needs exactly the kind of help Pearl can give. Zog and the Flying Doctors is a more purpose-driven sequel than Zog, with a clear theme about work, independence and being allowed to use your talents. The story remains comic and rhyming, with plenty of fantasy patients and visual jokes, but it has a useful social message about respecting children's ambitions and not limiting people by old expectations.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 2–7
- 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
- Dragons
- Doctors
- Princess subversion
- Helping others
- Rhyming read aloud
Avoid if
- Dislikes medical play
- Has not read zog
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Low self esteem
- Hospital stay
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A rhyming Donaldson favourite — a join-in read-aloud ideal for prediction and performing, with a gentle nudge about following your own path.
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 medical patients — a lion with sunburn, a unicorn with a hurt horn, a mermaid with a sniffle. Pearl as a proper doctor (not a princess) is the spine, and a four-year-old reading it picks up the message that doing useful work matters more than what you were told you should be.
- Making a difference
- Magic powers
- Adventure and freedom
- Family belonging
Why parents love it
The Zog sequel that gives the original its full meaning — Pearl's refusal to give up medicine for princess duties gets proper plot space, and the flying-doctors structure gives Donaldson a fresh joke engine. Holds up to repeat reading. The princess-doing-real-work book that doesn't lecture.
- Shared humour
- Conversation starter
- Bedtime appropriate
- Quick to read
In the series
Zog.
2 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.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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