The Gruffalo is a fantastic book recommended for children up to the age of around seven. It is a lyrical tale about a mouse in the woods who invents a scary creature to try and prevent the other animals from eating him only to run into the beast he thought he was making up. The Gruffalo lives up to billing and the mouse has to use his wits in order to survive.

Children love rhyming couplets so the verses in this book are very appealing. When children first begin to learn and read for themselves repetition is excellent and they enjoy being able to predict what will come next. The Gruffalo is just the right length for limited attention spans and it is also beautifully illustrated so there is plenty to look at on each page.

It was first published in 1999 as a 32 page hardback and it has since been re-released in a larger soft back version. Since it first came out it has sold well over 10 million copies which gives you some idea of how good it is.

The book was written by a writer called Julia Donaldson and she has penned a number of much loved children’s books. She has also written books specifically for use in schools. The Gruffalo is certainly her most successful work but other highlights include The Gruffalo’s Child, The Snail and the Whale and Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book.

The Gruffalo is beautifully illustrated by the German artist Axel Scheffler and he has provided artwork for a number of children’s books over the years.

The story is based on a traditional Chinese folk tale about a fox and a tiger. The fox in the original story manages to con the tiger by making it believe the other animals are scared of the fox when they are actually scared because he is with the tiger. The animal was changed to a Gruffalo because it is easier to rhyme and it adds a nice fantasy feel to the story.

It is a wonderful book for reading aloud to children and the audio version has also been very successful. It has won various awards and spawned a jigsaw version and a song. There was even a musical stage play based on it and of course Donaldson later wrote The Gruffalo’s Child and teamed up with Axel Scheffler again.

The book is especially popular in the UK, although it has been translated into several languages. The BBC is making a television version which is due to screen this Christmas and will star voice talent such as Helena Bonham Carter, John Hurt and Robbie Coltrane. It will be a 30 minute animation expanding on the book and using a mixture of models and CGI to bring the artwork to life.

If you’ve never come across The Gruffalo it is strongly recommended especially for kids from 0 up to 5 years old. It really is a clever and beautifully told story and it stands out as a real modern classic of children’s literature.