The Gruffalo

"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

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View books by Julia Donaldson.

Excellent - Rated
I bought this book based on a recent poll of top books for children and I was not disappointed. At the time my daughter was 14 months old and so I was a little concerned it would be too old for, how wrong could I be. The first time I read it to her was the first time she sat through a whole book. She then urged me to read it twice more.
It is now a firm family favourite and I have sent many copies to friends and family as gifts.

GREAT STUFF! - Rated
Characters:
Mouse - he is the main character. He saves himself from being eaten very cleverly.
Fox, Owl and Snake: these three animals are the ones who try to eat the little creature by inviting him back to their individual homes but they become more frightened of him then he is of them...
The Gruffalo - he is an imagination of Mouse; he is also the one who stops Mouse from getting eaten by the several different dangerous animals.

Settings:
The story is set in three parts of the deep dark wood: the first is near the rocks where he meets Fox. The second is by the stream where he bumps into Owl and the final setting is by the lake, where he encounters Snake.

Plot:
Mouse is going to be lunch for three dangerous creatures but he manages to scare them off...

Rating: I would rate it 7/10.
Recommendation: young children aged 4 - 7 and older people to read to them.

Fantastic - Rated
I bought this for my brother who turns 3 next week and he absolutely loves it! He asked me to read it over and over.
The illustrations are fabulous, nice bright colours and he loved how rhymey the book was.
I have to say this is my favourite children's book at the moment. It's a must have!

A must for any 3-5 yr old - Rated
This is one of the children's favourites at the nursery i work at, and my fav!
The characters are beautifully illustrated and the story is very clever and not in the slightest bit scary. It helps children to pick up and understand rhyme and the story is just a pleasure to read.
Highly reccomend as a must have!

An enduring favourite - Rated
Long after having bought this book it is still a firm favourite with my children. The story, which is told in rhyme, has a nicely rhythmic quality that gives the book an almost soothing feel. The illustrations by Alex Scheffler are first class and look bold and colourful. I have yet to see a Donaldson/Scheffler book that either I or my kids haven't liked.