Julia Donaldson is the internationally bestselling author of
many popular books for children. Her Smarties Prize-winning modern
classic, The Gruffalo, has sold more than 13.5 million copies
worldwide, and the Halloween favorite Room on the
Broom is a perennial best seller. In addition to children's
books, she has written many children's plays and songs and runs
regular storytelling workshops. She was the Waterstones Children's
Laureate from 2011-2013.
Axel Scheffler is an award-winning,
internationally-acclaimed illustrator of some of the most
well-loved children’s books, including Julia Donaldson’s
best-selling modern classic The Gruffalo, which has sold
millions of copies worldwide. He lives in London.
A clever, exuberant story in rhyme with strong, color-saturated
pictures to match . . . This is a sure bet. (Booklist)
A rollicking good time. (School Library Journal)
PreS-Gr 3-To save himself from being eaten by a fox, an owl, and a snake, an enterprising mouse declares that he is having lunch with a monster whose favorite food just happens to be the animal who is at that moment threatening him. With each telling, the gruffalo becomes more menacing until all of the rodent's tormentors leave him unharmed. The mouse scoffs at them, for everyone knows "There's no such thing as a gruffal...." But a turn of the page reveals-you guessed it-a gruffalo, that thinks the mouse will "...taste good on a slice of bread." Undaunted, the rodent devises a plan to frighten the monster off. Young readers will love the humor in this preposterous story of a trick that backfires and the way the protagonist talks himself out of his difficulties. Best of all, they will relish being in on the joke as they join in the reading of the delightfully repetitious rhyming text. Scheffler's cartoonlike illustrations, rendered in watercolor, colored pencils, and ink, are large and well paced. Facial expressions contrast the animals' alarm with the jaunty nonchalance of the mouse. The double-page spread that reveals the gruffalo-terrible claws, black tongue, poisonous wart, purple prickles, and all-is just scary enough to tickle but not frighten youngsters. Serve this one for a rollicking good time.-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community-Technical College, CT Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
A clever, exuberant story in rhyme with strong, color-saturated
pictures to match . . . This is a sure bet. (Booklist)
A rollicking good time. (School Library Journal)
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |