Donaldson & Rayner
Part of the collectionJulia Donaldson→Best for 3–6 households who want Donaldson's verse with Rayner's more painterly, animal-led art.
- Books3
- Arcs1
- Span2019–2026
- StatusOngoing
The series
At a glance.
A small newer strand of Donaldson picture books illustrated by Catherine Rayner, The Go-Away Bird (2019), The Bowerbird (2023) and The Magic Feather (2026). The artwork is looser and more atmospheric than Scheffler's; the tone is a touch more reflective. Pitched at the same 3–6 audience but with a different visual feel.
Best for 3–6 households who want Donaldson's verse with Rayner's more painterly, animal-led art.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Warm
- Gentle
- Heartwarming
- Cosy
Read in any order; the books are independent.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- ICreator arc
Donaldson & Rayner picture books
Three Donaldson/Rayner picture books.
Independent picture books sharing the Donaldson/Rayner pairing — bird-centric, gentle, slightly more painterly than the Scheffler work.
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 2–6
- Independent · 5–7
Reluctant-reader friendliness
Very high
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Adult crossover
High
Grows with the reader
Designed to
Sensitivity envelope
Low overall, and consistent.
In the same universe
Sister series.
The thirty-year body of picture-book collaborations between Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler (excluding the Gruffalo and Zog books, which sit in t…
Open series →SeriesThe GruffaloTwo picture books, The Gruffalo (1999) and The Gruffalo's Child (2004), illustrated by Axel Scheffler. The first is one of the most-sold picture books of the la…
Open series →SeriesZogTwo picture books about Zog, a kindly but accident-prone young dragon, also illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Zog (2010) covers Zog's first year of dragon school; …
Open series →About the author