It was the one that prompted the gruffalo frenzy: book shop appearances, cuddly toys, theatre productions, a film … even a sequel! A must-have for every child’s book corner.
“A mouse took a stroll in the deep dark wood.”
He may be small, but his wit is large. In order to escape the clutches of various woodland creatures – fox, owl and snake – the mouse convinces them he is meeting a fearsome character called the Gruffalo. Mouse has great fun scaring each creature with a vivid description of this terrible being but always reminds us that “there is no such thing as a gruffalo.” Then who should he come across? Oh yes! As mouse leads the gruffalo back past fox, owl and snake – their scared expressions lead gruffalo to believe it’s the mouse that’s a force to be reckoned with. The end result? Mouse is safe, and left in peace to eat his nut.
The sing song rhyming couplets and the repetition of descriptive details accompanied by Axel’s witty illustrations, will soon have your child reading along with you. And it’s this which has made The Gruffalo in to such a classic book for children.
Once you have devoured this one, The Gruffalo’s Child becomes a must. Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler have proved a successful team, click on his name to reveal their other collaborations and look carefully through the pages to find the gruffalo sneaking in to some unexpected places!
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