The Gruffalo

Donaldson has written a cleverly constructed rhyming tale for 3-7 year olds, in which a mouse escapes predator after predator by conjuring up the spectre of the imaginary Gruffalo, who grows more terrible with each conversation: 'His eyes are orange, his tongue is black. He has purple prickles all over his back.' Imagine mouse's surprise when he meets this awful beast who is real after all, and, worse, learns that mouse sandwich is the Gruffalo's favourite food. Never mind, resourceful mouse is equal to the occasion and uses it to his own advantage. Scheffler's illustrations, particularly of the huggable, bemused Gruffalo, tell the story succinctly and with humour adding a touch of reality with a working woodland of fallen trees and piles of logs waiting to be collected. Yes, courage and cunning can overcome the worst odds.