The Gruffalo's Child

Last updated
The Gruffalo's Child
TheGruffalosChild.jpg
First edition cover.
Author Julia Donaldson
Illustrator Axel Scheffler
LanguageEnglish
Genre Children's
Publisher Macmillan
Publication date
3 September 2004
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Pages32
ISBN 978-1-4050-2045-9
OCLC 56537100
Preceded by The Gruffalo  

The Gruffalo's Child is a British children's picture book by writer and playwright Julia Donaldson, and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It is the bestselling sequel to The Gruffalo [1] [2] and won the 2005 National Book Awards Children's Book of the Year. [3] [4] The book has been adapted into theatrical productions since 2005 and was adapted into the 2011 animated film The Gruffalo's Child .

Contents

Plot

The story is about the Gruffalo's daughter who, despite her father's warning, sets off into the deep dark wood to find the "big bad mouse", the only thing her father is afraid of. The Gruffalo can not remember what he looks like and describes him as a monster.

During her winter journey, she encounters the tracks of the snake, the owl, and the fox from the previous story, each of whom she first suspects to be the "big bad mouse", but who in turn tell her where she can find the real "big bad mouse". Eventually, concluding she has been tricked by the animals (and perhaps her father), she sadly decides that she "doesn't believe in the 'big bad mouse".

At this point, she encounters the little mouse from The Gruffalo, who previously tricked her father and whom her father and the animals were talking about. When she threatens to eat him, he cunningly invites her to meet the "big bad mouse", which he re-creates by using moonlight to project a tremendously enlarged and fearsome shadow to scare her away. Believing the shadow to belong to the real "big bad mouse", the Gruffalo's child flees and returns to the Gruffalo cave with faith in her father restored.

The story repeats the "brains over brawn" theme, the creatures, and the easily flowing rhyme scheme (tetrameter) of its predecessor, The Gruffalo.

Background

The mouse's shadow appearing enlarged is not something that would occur in the real world; Axel Scheffler has described this as "the greatest challenge" while illustrating, and comments, "Somehow it looks real in the book - even though it defies all the laws of physics!" [5] [6]

Reception

According to BookTrust, the book "has all the charm of the original: a witty, rhyming text, enchanting illustrations and a neat reversal of the original plot." [1] According to a review in The Horn Book Magazine , "Scheffler's humorous, cartoonlike illustrations, which depict the Gruffalo and his child as more teddy-bear-like than monstrous, work well with Donaldson’s pleasingly repetitive text in rhyme to create a story that, like its small hero, is clever rather than truly scary." [7] A Publishers Weekly review includes, "Scheffler's amiable depiction of the baby gruffalo in "the deep dark wood" builds up plenty of empathy for the galumphing youngster, who finally meets the mouse hero of the first Gruffalo tale." [8] A review in School Library Journal states, "While children may appreciate the details (the stick doll, snake tracks in the snow, gruffalo child's cave drawings) in the art, lack of change from picture to picture and in perspective diminish its effectiveness." [9]

Adaptations

The book was adapted for the stage in 2005, and has toured around the United Kingdom since then. [10] [11]

The book was also adapted into the 2011 animated film The Gruffalo's Child . [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Brydon</span> Welsh actor and comedian (born 1965)

Robert Brydon Jones is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. Brydon gained prominence for his roles in film, television and radio. Brydon was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in Queen Elizabeth II's Birthday Honours in 2013 for services to comedy and broadcasting, and for charitable services.

<i>The Gruffalo</i> Book by Julia Donaldson

The Gruffalo is a British children's picture book by author Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It tells the story of a mouse taking a walk in the woods and deceiving different predators, including the Gruffalo. The Gruffalo was first published in 1999 in the United Kingdom by Macmillan Children's Books. It is about 700 words long and is written in rhyming couplets featuring repetitive verse. It is an example of a trickster story and was inspired by a Chinese folk tale called "The Fox that Borrows the Terror of a Tiger". The Gruffalo has sold over 13.5 million copies and has won several prizes for children's literature including the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Donaldson</span> English writer and playwright (born 1948)

Julia Catherine Donaldson is an English writer and playwright, and the 2011–2013 Children's Laureate. She is best known for her popular rhyming stories for children, especially those illustrated by Axel Scheffler, which include The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and Stick Man. She originally wrote songs for children's television but has concentrated on writing books since the words of one of her songs, "A Squash and a Squeeze", were made into a children's book in 1993. Of her 184 published works, 64 are widely available in bookshops. The remaining 120 are intended for school use and include her Songbirds phonic reading scheme, which is part of the Oxford University Press's Oxford Reading Tree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axel Scheffler</span> German illustrator and animator (born 1957)

Axel Scheffler is a German illustrator and animator based in London. He is best known for his cartoon-like pictures for children's books, in particular The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, written by Julia Donaldson. He has also authored/illustrated the Pip and Posy series of books for children.

James Robertson is a Scottish writer who is the author of several novels, short stories and poetry collections. Robertson was born in Sevenoaks, England but grew up in Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire. He has published seven novels: The Fanatic, Joseph Knight, The Testament of Gideon Mack, And the Land Lay Still, The Professor of Truth, and To Be Continued… and News of the Dead. The Testament of Gideon Mack was long-listed for the 2006 Man Booker Prize.

The Blue Peter Book Awards were a set of literary awards for children's books conferred by the BBC television programme Blue Peter. They were inaugurated in 2000 for books published in 1999 and 2000. The awards were managed by reading charity, BookTrust, from 2006 until the final award in 2022. From 2013 until the final award, there were two award categories: Best Story and Best Book with Facts.

Helen Gillian Oxenbury is an English illustrator and writer of children's picture books. She lives in North London. She has twice won the annual Kate Greenaway Medal, the British librarians' award for illustration and been runner-up four times. For the 50th anniversary of that Medal (1955–2005) her 1999 illustrated edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was named one of the top ten winning works.

<i>Monkey Puzzle</i> (book)

Monkey Puzzle, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is an illustrated children's story book, published in 2000 by Alison Green Books. Donaldson dedicated the book to her cousin's children, Tom, Billy, Emma and Katie.

<i>The Gruffalo</i> (film) 2009 multi-national TV series or program

The Gruffalo is a 2009 animated fantasy short television film based on the 1999 picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

<i>The Gruffalos Child</i> (film) 2011 film

The Gruffalo's Child is a 2011 animated fantasy short television film based on the 2004 picture book of the same name written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. A sequel to The Gruffalo, the film was shown on Christmas Day 2011 in the United Kingdom, exactly two years after the debut of the first film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic Light Pictures</span> British film production company

Magic Light Pictures Limited is a 2003 English independent film and television London-based production company. The company was founded by producers Martin Pope and Michael Rose.

Nosy Crow is an independent children's publisher, based in London. The company was founded in 2010 by Kate Wilson, formerly MD of Macmillan Children’s Books and Group MD of Scholastic UK Ltd, Adrian Soar, formerly Book Publishing CEO of Macmillan Publishers, and Camilla Reid, formerly Editorial Director of Campbell Books. In 2020, the company was named Independent Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards. As of 2021, Nosy Crow is the UK's 11th largest children's publisher, according to Nielsen BookScan data.

<i>Room on the Broom</i> Childrens book by Julia Donaldson

Room on the Broom is a British children's story book by writer and playwright Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, which tells the story of a kind witch and her cat who invite three other animals to join them travelling on her broomstick.

Room on the Broom is a 2012 short stop motion computer animated television film based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. The film was nominated for the Best Animated Short Film at the 2014 Academy Awards. It also won the British Academy Children's Award for Animation in 2013.

<i>The Snail and the Whale</i> Childrens book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

The Snail and the Whale is a 2003 children's picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It won the 2004 Early Years award for the best pre-school book, the 2005 Blue Peter award for Best Book to Read Aloud, and the 2007 Giverny award for Best Science Picture Book. The Snail and the Whale has also been adapted into an unabridged audiobook, a stage play and translated into British Sign Language. In 2019, a short film based on the book was released.

<i>Stick Man</i> 2008 childrens book by Julia Donaldson

Stick Man, written by former Children's Laureate Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is a children's story about an anthropomorphic wooden stick who becomes separated from his family home and his Odyssey-like adventure to return there. He is eventually reunited with his family in the "family tree" as a result of his interaction with Father Christmas. It takes place in England.

<i>Zog</i> (childrens book) 2010 childrens book by Julia Donaldson

Zog is a 2010 children's picture book by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, about a young accident-prone dragon, named Zog, who wants to be the best student in dragon school.

<i>Pip and Posy</i> Book series by Axel Scheffler

Pip and Posy is a series of British children's picture books written by Axel Scheffler, known for his work on the Gruffalo series with author Julia Donaldson. The series follows the adventures of two animal friends, Pip the rabbit and Posy the mouse, as they navigate the ups and downs of their everyday lives.

Michael Peter Rose OBE is a British film producer and co-founder of Magic Light Pictures, a London-based independent film production company. In 2023 Rose was awarded the OBE for services to animation.

Martin Pope is a British film producer and co-founder of Magic Light Pictures, a London-based independent film production company.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Gruffalo's Child". BookTrust . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "BookScan bestsellers: Sales by volume in 2004: TOP 15 CHILDREN'S HARDBACKS". The Bookseller . March 18, 2005 – via Literary Reference Center Plus.
  3. ↑ Sharp, Rob (26 November 2006). "Gruffalo, the monster we all love". The Observer . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Pauli, Michelle (7 June 2011). "Gruffalo creator Julia Donaldson is new children's laureate". The Guardian . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  5. ↑ Scheffler, Axel. "The Gruffalo's child". Axel Scheffler. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  6. ↑ Donaldson, Julia; Scheffler, Axel (29 April 2016). "Gruffalos and goats: Axel Scheffler's sketchbook – in pictures". The Guardian . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Brabander, Jennifer M. (January 1, 2005). "Julia Donaldson The Gruffalo's Child; illus. by Axel Scheffler". The Horn Book Magazine. 81 (1): 75-76. ISSN   0018-5078 – via Literary Reference Center Plus.
  8. ↑ "THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD by Julia Donaldson". Publishers Weekly . December 13, 2004. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  9. ↑ Loch-Wouters, Marge (March 2005). "The Gruffalo's Child". School Library Journal . 51 (3) – via Literary Reference Center Plus.
  10. ↑ Dowell, Ben (27 November 2017). "The Gruffalo's Child review: Julia Donaldson's magical story is brought to life". Radio Times . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  11. ↑ Hood, Alun (7 December 2020). "Review: The Gruffalo's Child (Alexandra Palace Theatre)". WhatsOnStage.com . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  12. ↑ Ashby, Emily. "The Gruffalo's Child Movie Review". Common Sense Media . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.