Product Description

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 Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
"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

Customer Reviews

So good it's SCARY!
"He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws... He has knobbily knees and turned-out toes, and a poisounous wart at the end of his nose. His eyes are orange, his tongue is black; He has purple prickles all over his back... He's the Gruffalo! Gruffalo! Gruffalo!"

Recently purchased this big book and its fantastic! Its won an award for being the best book to read aloud and it's not hard to see why! You can really go to town on the story telling front with animal and monster voices galore! Plus in this big book version there are some great activity ideas to use with groups of children. It is a great starting point to teach them about rhyme or make up their own imaginary monsters (but hopefully they won't turn out to be real like the Gruffalo!). It even includes a play script and song with sheet music! If you are interested check out the book and tape pack- the story is read in a lively exciting fashion by actress Imelda Staunton and the tape also includes the Gruffalo song and backing track! Great for a school assembly or show! Very topical at the moment with the recent sucess of "Monsters inc." A must have for infant teachers! The children will love this one.

Absolutely Delightful
What an incredible magical combination of author and artist, and what an outstanding set of books this collaboration has produced. The Gruffalo is an amazing tale that reminds me of many stories I read as a child: It has a wonderful combination of characters like The Little Red Hen, a sequence of events similar to The Old Woman and Her Pig, and the magical elements of many fairy tales. I believe Julia Donaldson is every bit as talented in creating rhyme as the great Dr. Seuss. The language has exceptional flow and makes this a fantastic read aloud book. Both children and adults will marvel at the ingenuity of our tiny hero on his journey, as well as his charm. The artwork is brilliant, and the story is superb. I recommend The Gruffalo for everyone who loves great stories and beautiful children's books.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles

The best childrens book ever!
I picked this book up after quickly skimming through the brilliant pictures. It was only when I read it to my little boy (only 14 months at the time) that I realised how good it really was. The rhymes are full of suprises and are very funny - I like the descriptions of what the gruffalo eats the best - roasted fox, owl icecream and scrambled snake! I enjoyed it so much that I had to finish the story off myself when he decided he'd had enough.

It's a book that really lets you go mad with the actions (for the terrible tusks and terrible claws!) and voices for the owl, fox, snake, mouse, and best of all, the Gruffalo. Although my little boy is still only 16 months old he will sit still happily for the whole book. He also likes to point out all of the tiny details that are in each of the illustrations (birds, flowers etc.) We are still finding new things to look at weeks after buying this book. I think he will love this one for many years to come - I'm just hoping that this copy will last long enough!