- Hardcover: 28 pages
- Publisher: PAN Macmillan Childrens Books (Oct 3 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1405004738
- ISBN-13: 978-1405004732
- Product Dimensions: 24 x 21 x 8.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 458 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #535,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The eponymous character introduced by this British team owes a large debt to Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. When Mouse meets Fox in the "deep dark wood," he invents a story about the gruffalo, described very much like Sendak's fearsome quartet of wild thingsA"He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws." The gullible fox runs away when Mouse tells him that the gruffalo's favorite food is roasted fox. "Silly old Fox!" says Mouse, "Doesn't he know?/ There's no such thing as a gruffalo!" Owl and Snake follow suit until, with a turn of the page, Mouse runs into the creature he has imagined. Quick-thinking Mouse then tells the monster, "I'm the scariest creature in this deep dark wood./ Just walk behind me and soon you'll see,/ Everyone for miles is afraid of me." Fox, Owl and Snake appear to be terrified of the tiny mouse, but readers can plainly see the real object of their fears. By story's end, the gruffalo flees, and Mouse enjoys his nut lunch in peace. Despite the derivative plot line, debut author Donaldson manipulates the repetitive language and rhymes to good advantage, supplying her story with plenty of scary-but-not-too-scary moments. Scheffler's gruffalo may seem a goofy hybrid of Max's wild things, but his cartoonlike illustrations build suspense via spot-art previews of the monster's orange eyes, black tongue and purple prickles until the monster's appearance in full. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-To save himself from being eaten by a fox, an owl, and a snake, an enterprising mouse declares that he is having lunch with a monster whose favorite food just happens to be the animal who is at that moment threatening him. With each telling, the gruffalo becomes more menacing until all of the rodent's tormentors leave him unharmed. The mouse scoffs at them, for everyone knows "There's no such thing as a gruffal...." But a turn of the page reveals-you guessed it-a gruffalo, that thinks the mouse will "...taste good on a slice of bread." Undaunted, the rodent devises a plan to frighten the monster off. Young readers will love the humor in this preposterous story of a trick that backfires and the way the protagonist talks himself out of his difficulties. Best of all, they will relish being in on the joke as they join in the reading of the delightfully repetitious rhyming text. Scheffler's cartoonlike illustrations, rendered in watercolor, colored pencils, and ink, are large and well paced. Facial expressions contrast the animals' alarm with the jaunty nonchalance of the mouse. The double-page spread that reveals the gruffalo-terrible claws, black tongue, poisonous wart, purple prickles, and all-is just scary enough to tickle but not frighten youngsters. Serve this one for a rollicking good time.
Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community-Technical College, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community-Technical College, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Wrong Language,
This review is from: GRUFFALO (Paperback)
It was not obvious in the short title that this book was a French edition. Too bad, now it is sitting on my shelf, was supposed to be a birthday gift. Bummer. Will be more careful ordering from Amazon.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Delightful,
By
This review is from: The Gruffalo (Hardcover)
What an incredible magical combination of author and artist, and what an outstanding set of books this collaboration has produced. The Gruffalo is an amazing tale that reminds me of many stories I read as a child: It has a wonderful combination of characters like The Little Red Hen, a sequence of events similar to The Old Woman and Her Pig, and the magical elements of many fairy tales. I believe Julia Donaldson is every bit as talented in creating rhyme as the great Dr. Seuss. The language has exceptional flow and makes this a fantastic read aloud book. Both children and adults will marvel at the ingenuity of our tiny hero on his journey, as well as his charm. The artwork is brilliant, and the story is superb. I recommend The Gruffalo for everyone who loves great stories and beautiful children's books.J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book for reading aloud!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Gruffalo (Paperback)
This is such a great book, with excellent rhymes and rhythm to the text. It is an absolute favorite of both my husband and me to read to our 9-month-old, and we expect to be reading it with him for many, many years. (It's probably too advanced for him, but the bright, colorful pictures and the rhythm of the text keep him interested.) I'm so disappointed that it's become special order only - we wanted to get it as a gift for several nieces - it is really a great book and so much better than what you can find at a typical bookstore. (It might still be available from Amazon.co.uk if you can't get it here.)
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