Call an animal stubborn long enough and it stops getting credit for anything else. A donkey that plants its feet halfway up a trail is not sulking; it has looked at the drop, decided the odds are bad, and declined — the same caution that made it the animal people have trusted with the load, and with the child riding on top of the load, for thousands of years. Everything else about a donkey seems designed to undercut it: the ears, the bray you can hear from the next valley over, the fact that it gets handed the least glamorous job in the story every time. Children’s books have been quietly on the donkey’s side the whole time. On the page, the one nobody picked is usually the one carrying the thing that matters most.
Drawing from Bookroo’s collection of donkey books, our editors picked twelve that cover the whole paddock: the cumulative rhyme a grandmother made famous by laughing too hard to finish it, the Caldecott Medal winner about a wish that goes catastrophically wrong, the comedy about a donkey who is fairly sure he is a cat, the Bethlehem and Jerusalem donkeys carrying more than they know, and — for older readers — a graphic novel about a shoemaker with an impossible order and the 1953 classic about a real burro living wild at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Start with the shortlist below, then browse by age: board books for the first bray, picture books for the read-aloud years, and chapter books for readers who want a donkey with a job.
A magic pebble grants any wish said out loud — including the panicked one that leaves its owner unable to say anything ever again.
Each verse adds one more absurd detail to the same donkey, until his full name is unsayable without collapsing.
A donkey who eats nothing but grass slowly starts to match it, and his mother begins negotiating.
A donkey's grammar blunder leads to a hilarious misunderstanding with a yam.
A donkey raised among barn cats grooms, pounces, and naps like the rest of them — until an offhand remark makes him wonder.
A donkey climbs a mountain road in fog thick enough to hide the way ahead, having just been warned there are monsters up there.
Walking a long road at night with a rider on his back, a donkey dreams he is carrying a city, a ship, a fountain, and a rose.
A donkey wants fresh tortillas, and every friend he asks to help with the corn turns out to be busy.
A young donkey who longs to matter is picked to carry a king through a shouting crowd, and then watches what the week does to him.
A neglected donkey needs a home before Christmas, and the girl looking after him has to find one nobody else has thought of.
A donkey ventures into the jungle to find rare materials for a special shoe order.
A burro comes and goes as he pleases along the canyon trails, until he becomes the only witness to a killing.
A short, sturdy shelf: a lift-the-flap hunt for a missing dad, a first morning at school, and a joke about what books are actually for. Ages 0–3.
Is a book for chewing or wearing? Discover its true purpose.
Dinky Donkey searches for her missing dad. Where could he be?
A child faces school without their beloved toy. How will they cope?
Cumulative rhymes, picky eaters, mistaken identities, Christmas and Palm Sunday donkeys, and a burro grinding corn with no help at all. Ages 3–8.
A humble donkey discovers his destiny in a journey of faith and purpose.
A donkey has a child and the child develops unique characteristics.
A donkey's weekend holds a mysterious surprise. What could it be?
Meet a hilarious donkey with false teeth and endless charm.
A unicorn hesitates to shine again, but friendship might change everything.
A donkey, a yam, and a sheep create chaos with homonyms and misunderstandings.
A hesitant burro discovers the joy of exploring new places.
A donkey's misunderstanding leads to a hilarious guessing game.
A donkey dreams of being a cow. Can friends help him find happiness?
Can Pedro and Papa find the perfect burro?
Discover the vital role donkeys play on the farm.
A tiny animal's quest for height leads to self-discovery.
Rescued donkeys, a shoemaker with a deadline, and a real burro at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Ages 6–12.
Squirrels on a wild ride with a talking donkey. Can they escape?
A rescue dog helps a lonely donkey find acceptance among its herd.
A curious donkey seeks answers to why he's labeled stubborn. Can a magical encounter reveal the truth?
A field trip to the Grand Canyon turns mysterious.
