The Gruffalo

The nation's favourite bedtime story! Walk into the deep dark wood, and discover what happens when a quick-witted mouse comes face to face with an owl, a snake . . . and a hungry Gruffalo. The perfect rhyming picture book for the family bookshelf. A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood. A fox saw the mouse and the mouse looked good. Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's The Gruffalo is an undisputed modern classic and has become a bestselling phenomenon across the world with over 18 million copies sold. This award-winning story of a mouse and a monster has found its way into the hearts and bedtimes of an entire generation of children. Perfect to read aloud, the playful verse and beloved characters will enchant little ones for years to come. No home should be without The Gruffalo! 'One of the best picture books ever written' - The Sun Look out for Gruffalo Granny, the brand new Gruffalo picture book adventure - coming on 10th September 2026! Discover more picture books from Julia and Axel: The Gruffalo's Child, Room on the Broom, and A Squash and a Squeeze.

Julia Donaldson has written some of the world's best-loved children's books of the last 30 years, including bestselling modern classic The Gruffalo, which has been translated into over 100 languages and dialects, and its sequel The Gruffalo's Child. Her other books include Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale and The Highway Rat, all illustrated by Axel Scheffler, The Hospital Dog and Gozzle, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie, and the hugely successful What the Ladybird Heard adventures, illustrated by Lydia Monks. Julia also writes fiction, including the Princess Mirror-Belle series, as well as poems, plays and songs - and her brilliant live shows are always in demand. She was the UK Children's Laureate 2011-13 and has been honoured with a CBE for Services to Literature. Julia lives in West Sussex. Axel Scheffler was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1957. He studied history of art in Hamburg, before moving to the United Kingdom to study illustration at Bath Academy of Art in 1982. Since then he has worked as a freelance illustrator in London. He is best known for the children's books he has illustrated through his partnership with author, Julia Donaldson. Their first book together A Squash and a Squeeze was published in 1993 and has sold 2.2 million copies worldwide. The duo then went on to create The Gruffalo, which has sold over 18 million copies, in 113 countries throughout the world. He lives in London.