Book Review: The Gruffalo

At-A-Glance

Title: The Gruffalo

Review

The Gruffalo is an older picture book about a mouse traveling through the woods. He encounters other animals who want to eat him, but the mouse uses his wit to trick them and safely passes by. The story has a lighthearted tone and is told in rhyme, repeating the line “A gruffalo? What’s a gruffalo?” each time the mouse encounters another animal who wants to eat him.

I chose this book after hearing it was a kid favorite. And it’s easy to see why. It has the charm and feel of a traditional fairytale, like Little Red Riding Hood or The Three Little Pigs. There’s also plenty to talk about, for parents and teachers who like to use stories to open discussions, as the mouse uses deception to convince the animals not to eat him.

This is a great story for those who love old school fairytales.

Storyline

Just what is the Gruffalo?

He has terrible tusks… and terrible claws… and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.

But do all those things make him the scariest creature in the deep dark wood? One brave little mouse with a big imagination doesn’t think so!

When Mouse takes a stroll through the woods, he meets a fox, an owl, and a snake who all want to eat him. So clever Mouse scares them off by warning them about the gruffalo who lives in the forest, a monster with terrible teeth and terrible claws.

But what happens when Mouse’s invented monster turns out to be real?

The Gruffalo is an international best-selling and award-winning sensation with over 13.5 million copies in print worldwide. It has been made into an Oscar-nominated animated film as well as a stage musical that was performed on Broadway, and was voted England’s favorite bedtime story.

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