The Gruffalo

Julia Donaldson is the supremo of rhyming. I am certainly not the only writer she has inspired. All her books are really well crafted and the fact that she is a singer and very musical can be felt by reading her exemplary rhyme.  

I recommend this book, the first which made her name in this genre, because it has all the qualities of a best rhyming text. It tells a story to which children can relate, is never boring, and has an unerring and satisfying beat.

How can I not recommend The Gruffalo in a list of best picture books with scary things? While some young readers may find this story a little scary, it’s actually a mouse that is constantly in peril. But this is a mouse with brains and he uses those brains to outwit a succession of characters intent on eating him until we meet the great big, scary Gruffalo himself. He’s no match for the mouse, though. Julia Donaldson tells her story in verse, always a joy to read out loud, and Axel Scheffler’s illustrations are perfect. I love reading this to… show more.

The Gruffalo follows a crafty field mouse walking through the woods. As he comes upon creatures who want to eat him, the mouse describes an imaginary character that he is meeting for lunch. Mouse spins a tale to a fox, owl, and snake about the Gruffalo only to find out at the end of his journey, the Gruffalo is real! With his quick thinking, the mouse tells the Gruffalo that all of the animals in the woods are scared of him, and to prove it he asks the Gruffalo to follow him. As the mouse and the Gruffalo embark on… show more.