The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

- March 20, 2011

Title/Author: The Gruffalo/Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
Publisher: Macmillan
Pages: 28
ISBN 13: 978-0-333-71093-7

In a nutshell
Walk into the deep dark wood, meet a quick-thinking mouse and discover what happens when he comes face to face with a ugly, hungry gruffalo.

What I liked
Ever since I took a liking to children's books, I'ver heard and read about Julia Donaldson and her very famous and well-loved 'The Gruffalo'. And I'm privileged and honoured to be given the chance to review some of her books, thanks to Odelia from Pansing :)

I asked my students if they've read 'The Gruffalo' or have been read to, one of them looked at me quizically and asked, 'Is that the story about the clever mouse?' Thrilled that he was right, I said,'Yes! Did you like it?' 'I don't remember much, but I liked the mouse who was small yet smart!'

That's what I loved about the story too :) It's fun to see how this little mouse always manages to escape being pounced on by a bigger animal by outwitting them! I can't help but smile as the mouse exaggerates his description of the Gruffalo each time he meets another animal - from "terrible claws and jaws" to "his tongue is black, he has purple prickles all over his back."

The twist comes when he finally meets the real, ugly gruffalo who tells him, "You'll taste good on a slice of bread", to which the little mouse tells him, "I'm the scariest creature in this wood" and that "Everyone is afraid of me." He then asks the gruffalo to go with him into the wood so that he can prove it. And so the gruffalo does.

Can you guess the ending? *wink*

It's a fun read! Even for an adult! Trust me ;)

It's a great story to be read out loud to a child, this one :) Especially when the words rhyme so beautifully and the story, so charming! You could also have some fun activities with the children, like making the gruffalo's mask and baking a gruffalo cake!

I think Axel Scheffler did a fantastic job on the gruffalo too. I mean, it's not easy drawing a frightening creature that looks cute too, don't you think? No wonder it has become a well-loved children's character! See Scheffler's sketches for the gruffalo and watch him make the gruffalo come to life here.