Axel Scheffler is the best-selling, award-winning illustrator of many of the world’s favourite picture books. Born in Hamburg, Axel moved to England over thirty years ago to study illustration. Perhaps best-known for his collaborations with Julia Donaldson, including the modern classic The Gruffalo, which has sold over 13.5 million copies worldwide and been translated into over 60 languages, Axel has also illustrated novelty titles for younger readers such as Noisy Farm and The Bedtime Bear, as well as the Pip and Posy series. Axel lives in London with his partner and daughter. Koala's playing his flute, Badger's bashing away on the drums and Squirrel's strumming on th... Read more

This brilliantly funny animal counting story is perfect for listening to at home, in the car, at bedtime – or any time at all! The initial illustrator for A Squash and a Squeeze fell through, so Wilson suggested her boyfriend, a German illustrator named Axel Scheffler. The collaboration nearly failed at the start: Methuen initially felt Scheffler’s sketches were too intimidating. “My little old lady would have been a little more spiky. They said: ‘It needs to be more joyous’,” Scheffler told me when we spoke. “Maybe I was just too obedient. I should have said no.” You're never too young to meet a Gruffalo! Join the Gruffalo as he explores the deep dark wood. Ideal for busy babies who are out and about – no pram, pushchair, car seat or highchair should be wit... Read more Take a stroll in the deep dark wood with this amazing interactive gift edition of the bestselling picture book, The Gruffalo, with the full, original story – plus flaps to lift, tabs to p... Read more It has been adapted into plays and an Oscar-nominated animated film. The book has inspired a range of merchandise, a commemorative coin, a theme park ride in Chessington World of Adventures, and a series of woodland trails. In 2004, The Gruffalo was followed by a sequel— The Gruffalo's Child—also written by Donaldson and illustrated by Scheffler.

Peter Fogarty has kindly contributed a set of Thinking Hat resources linked to the book (see Resources below).

Where is Monkey's mummy? It's not too much fun being lost in the jungle, and little monkey wants his mum. A kindly butterfly is keen to help, but they don't seem to be ha... Read more Explore the deep dark wood with Mouse and see if you can spot the Gruffalo in this interactive novelty book, based on the bestselling picture book, The Gruffalo – with peep-holes a... Read moreFrom Julia Donaldson, the bestselling author of The Gruffalo, comes Princess Mirror-Belle and the Sea Monster's Cave, the exciting adventures of a princess with a difference. <... Read more The Snail and the Whale is a delightful tale of adventure and friendship from the bestselling Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo. This special festive edi... Read more Before I left, I asked Donaldson if she ever thought, of an evening, about the millions of children going to sleep listening to her stories, or learning to read from her words. She seemed slightly embarrassed by the question. “The nicest thing is that I hope that I’m part of a chain, and that some of those children will write,” she said. Many already send her the stories they’ve written. “I got a really good one the other day. Even the rhyme scheme was good.” Donaldson smiled. “That’s just a really nice thought, to feel like I’m helping to pass that on.”

Princess Mirror-Belle and the Dragon Pox is a magical story from the stellar picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, creators of What the Ladybird Heard. A fun st... Read more Written by Julia Donaldson, the author of The Gruffalo, and illustrated by Karen George, Freddie and the Fairy is a delightfully witty, rhyming tale.It's a Little Baby is a beautiful and engaging lift-the-flap book for little ones from Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb, the creators of the bestselling The Paper Dolls and The ... Read more This fantastic magical adventure is perfect for listening to at home, in the car, at bedtime – or any time at all! A stunning book about colours full of gorgeous, breathtaking landscapes, with amazing flaps to lift and holes to peep through. From Julia Donaldson, bestselling author of The Gruffalo, an... Read more

In an article titled "Humour and the locus of control in 'The Gruffalo'", Betsie van der Westhuizen identifies the following types of humour used in The Gruffalo: "humour with regard to the narrative aspects, humour with regard to the poetic aspects, visual humour and humour and the performing arts". [17] She writes that the most common use of humour in the story is incongruity, arising from the sense that "everything is not as it should be". [18] Some examples include the mouse averting the predators and the unusual descriptions of food, such as "owl ice cream" and "scrambled snake". [19] She writes that there are different experiences of humour among different ages of children who read The Gruffalo: three to five year olds will appreciate the elements of surprise and repetition in the story; six to eight year olds will enjoy the rhyme and rhythm of the text and the story's hyperbole. [17] As for visual representations of humour, van der Westhuizen writes that an example occurs when the mouse scares away the snake, accompanied by fragmented images of the imaginary gruffalo's features, then immediately afterwards comes across the real Gruffalo. [20] Monkey Puzzle Jigsaw Book Poor little Monkey has lost his mum. Kindly Butterfly tries to help, but somehow she keeps getting it wrong! Will Monkey ever find his mum? With Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's Monkey Puzzle J... Read more Flood, Alison (25 October 2016). "Gruffalo gets gallus makeover in Glaswegian translation". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 September 2022. Yu, Chen-Wei (2011). "Childhood, identity politics, and linguistic negotiation in the traditional Chinese translation of the picture book The Gruffalo in Taiwan". Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures. University of Toronto Press. 3 (2): 30–45. doi: 10.1353/jeu.2011.0013. S2CID 144901850.Count down to Christmas with this advent calendar collection of twenty-four mini activity, song and rhyme books, based on the bestselling picture books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler – wi... Read more Push, pull and slide the magical moving mechanisms in this brilliant board book to meet all your favourite characters from the bestselling picture book Room on the Broom– and brin... Read more Imagine Ellen's surprise when Princess Mirror-Belle climbs out of the bathroom mirror! She comes from a world where bubble fish swim in the bath, elves sleep in slippers, and brave knights fight fi... Read more Meet a very helpful giant in this funny, big-hearted tale from the unparalleled picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo. This is a special... Read more