The Gruffalo was written by English author Julia Donaldson. 'The Gruffalo' tells the story of a mouse who travels through the woods, encountering various animals who try to trick the mouse into going back to their home so that they can eat him. The mouse makes up a story about a monster called a Gruffalo in the hope that it will scare the animals away. It works, and the animals leave the mouse alone, but then the mouse discovers that a Gruffalo does actually exist. Thr Gruffalo threatens to eat the mouse, but the mouse tricks the Gruffalo into believing that the mouse will eat him. The Gruffalo does not believe the mouse so the mouse uses the Gruffalo to frighten away all the animals from earlier in the story. The Gruffalo, unaware that it is him that the animals are scared of, starts to believe the mouse and runs away, thinking that the mouse will eat him.
The book was a huge success, winning numerous awards and it sold over 3.5 million copies in 31 editions worldwide. It was the best selling book picture book in the UK in 2000 and has been adapted into a play. A sequel, 'The Gruffalo's Child' was released in 2004, and is due to be adapted into a play in 2007.
Both books were illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
The book was a huge success, winning numerous awards and it sold over 3.5 million copies in 31 editions worldwide. It was the best selling book picture book in the UK in 2000 and has been adapted into a play. A sequel, 'The Gruffalo's Child' was released in 2004, and is due to be adapted into a play in 2007.
Both books were illustrated by Axel Scheffler.