The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
Rate and review The Gruffalo! | What does everyone else think?
The Gruffalo certainly lives up to its reputation as a classic read for both children and parents. The fantasy story captures the imagination of pre-schoolers as it takes them on a journey with mouse as he strolls through the wood and meets the beast himself, the Gruffalo. As the mouse revisits inhabitants of the wood with the Gruffalo, the mouse successfully convinces the beast that he, the mouse, is the scariest creature in the wood.
“A Gruffalo, a Gruffalo, why don’t you know?” – well, if you don’t it’s worth knowing and letting your child in on the secret too. The Gruffalo is a humorous tale that keeps kids enraptured and anticipating the next page. This is a book that grows with your child – the rhythmical style of reading captivates very young readers and as they develop, and so too their verbal skills, it allows the child to get into character themselves – even reciting verses.
Accompanying the text are fantastic illustrations by Axel Scheffler bringing the story to life. You’ll even find your child just studying the pages themselves as they seem enchanted by this story.
On initial sight of the creature we call ‘The Gruffalo’ you may think is it going to provoke nightmares but far from it – his monster looks are loved and well known between your children’s peers.
Julia Donaldson’s unique style allows the reader to bring the story to life for their little ones. This is perhaps why children never seem to tire of reading it, and the same goes for adults.
The Gruffalo (Amazon.co.uk)
Author: Julia Donaldson
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 32
Publication date: 1999-08-27
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
RRP: £5.99
Lowest new price: £0.89
Lowest used price: £0.01
"A gruffalo? What's a gruffalo?"
"A gruffalo! Why, didn't you know? He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws."
And so begins the story of a quick-witted mouse as he encounters a host of predators who seem to think he might make a tasty treat. As he ventures deeper into the deep dark wood, stumbling across a hungry fox, a not-so-wise owl, and a slimy snake, spinning ever-extraordinary yarns about the scary, scaly gruffalo, he quickly realises that the hungry beast he has been talking of isn't imaginary after all.
A witty, sly little story that wrings giggles from the belly of the reader, The Gruffalo is both stylish and hilarious, simple in its execution, as it plays skilfully on a child's fears and then shows that even the most threatening of monsters are not always as scary as they seem.
A combination of read-along-rhyme by Julia Donaldson and illustrations by Alex Sheffler which perfectly capture the atmosphere of the story, The Gruffalo is an excellent picture book for 3-5-year-olds to read along with their parents, and is certain to become something of a classic. --Susan Harrison
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Gruffalo (Amazon.com)
Author: Julia Donaldson
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 32
Publication date: 1999-08
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
RRP: $9.01
Lowest new price: $4.66
Lowest used price: $0.01
A rhyming story of a mouse and a monster. Little mouse goes for a walk in a dangerous forest. To scare off his enemies, he invents tales of a fantastical creature called the Gruffalo. Imagine his surprise when he meets the real Gruffalo!
Product Description
Bethany from Dundee
"I think all Julia Donaldson books are fab!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Kayleigh from England
"I really like The Gruffalo. My favourite part is when the Gruffalo runs away from the mouse. I find this funny because the mouse is smaller than the Gruffalo. I also like the part where the mouse said to the Gruffalo that he likes Gruffalo crumble because this scares the Gruffalo. "
Submit your own mini-review
Let people know what you think about The Gruffalo. You can write your own mini-review and give the book the rating that you think it deserves. Your reviews will go towards giving The Gruffalo its overall rating that will decide where The Gruffalo finishes in the top 100 fantasy books of all time.
Books you may also enjoy...
The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson
If you’ve ever read a book that you don’t want to end then The Gruffalo is perhaps a childs equivalent – luckily Julia Donaldson continues to keep little minds satisfied with The Gruffalo’s Child ... read the full review
Summary: Little readers love the adventurous spirit of the Gruffalo’s child.
Stick Man by Julia Donaldson
Julia Donaldson yet again produces a winning formula with The Stick Man. Taking an everyday object of a stick, the author gives it an identity and creates the Stick Man and his instantly loveable family of his ‘stick lady love and his stick children three’. The story follows the life of Stick Man as he is torn away from his family and depicted dealing with everyday situations for a ‘stick’ - he gets thrown to a dog, becomes a pooh stick and forms part of a birds nest to name but a few. Just as it looks as though Stick Man’s days are numbered, as he is placed on a fireplace, he is rescued by every childs hero, Santa, who helps him find his way back home. ... read the full review
Summary: The ingenious idea of The Stick Man makes it a humorous read for parents too.
Time To Wash Faces! by Andrew Davenport
This board book one again contains bold, bright, photographic illustrations of favourite characters from the television series and a simple and fun story. The story centres on the character of Makka Pakka, whom children will know loves to travel around the garden with his sponge and soap keeping the garden and his friends clean and tidy. Makka Pakka greets and washes the faces of several different characters before the story ends with the familiar phrase “Isn’t that a pip!’. ... read the full review
Summary: Makka Pakka is a gentle and caring creature and will appeal to both babies and toddlers.
Also in this sub-genre...
- The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson
- Stick Man by Julia Donaldson
- Time To Wash Faces! by Andrew Davenport
- Come To Tea On Planet Zum Zee by Tony Mitton
- Lost And Found by Oliver Jeffers
- Tabby McTat by Julia Donaldson
- How To Catch A Star by Oliver Jeffers
- Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson
- Morris the Mankiest Monster by Giles Andreae, Sarah McIntyre
Book of the Month
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it’s been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
Latest interviews
Interviews plus question and answer sessions with authors, narrators and publishers.
Must-reads
The following reviews are of books that begin the very best fantasy series available.
Competition: Win a signed copy of Graham Hancock's Entangled
Graham Hancock is the author of The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis, Heaven's Mirror, Supernatural and other bestselling investigations of historical mysteries. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. Written with the same page-turning appeal that has made his non-fiction so popular, Entangled is his first work of fiction. We have five signed copies of Entangled to give away as prizes. Email us the answer to the following question and the lucky winner, chosen at random, will receive a copy of the book, signed by the author.
Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe
Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.
