The Gruffalo
by Julia Donaldson · first published 1999
80% recommend20% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Rhyming picture book by Julia Donaldson with a clever, funny story and striking art. It reads well aloud and still entertains adults, suiting young children and the parents reading to them.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The Gruffalo is a British children's picture book by writer and playwright Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, that tells the story of a mouse, the protagonist of the book, taking a walk in the woods. The book has sold over 13 million copies, has won several prizes for children's literature, and has been developed into plays on both the West End and Broadway and even an Oscar nominated animated film. The Gruffalo was initially published in 1999 in the United Kingdom by Macmillan Children's Books.
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Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?” ↗The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson is quite good IMHO.
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?” ↗…terrible. And he knows. For at least 80 percent of the time, we are just re-reading busytown. And we have like 20 books or so that we might just as well get rid of. Another one we really like is the Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson. A classic, which is also really fun to read as an adult. I wish I know of more of these kinds of high quality children books. Roald Dahl is another such writer who just doesn't care…
on “Writing in Pictures: Richard Scarry and the art of children's literature” ↗Everything Octonauts - though I actually find the tv series better than the books. Julia Donaldson books are great, such as The Gruffalo. Great art style and easy rhymes. We’ve also had a lot of success with the various 5-minute collection books, such as 5-minute Winnie the Pooh stories. They love going from story to story.
on “Ask HN: Books your kids like most” ↗…book is little blue and little yellow by Leo Leoni (I think), it’s basic colour theory, so simple and easily conveyed. I’d also recommend anything picture books by Julia Donaldson and Alex Schafer (the Gruffalo). They are great for 2/3+. My child is 11 now and refuses to donate them, she loves them so much.
on “Why did so many mid-century designers make children's books? (2022)” ↗…and Rosie Revere, because they promote really positive messages. But man, the verse is really clumsy and poor in some areas. Not stellar writing. To add to your list: anything by Julia Donaldson. The Gruffalo, Super Worm, Room on the Broom, the Whale and the Snail. Perennial favs when my kids were 3-5
on “Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?” ↗Great essay, I was disappointed to find no reference to the best-selling author Julia Donaldson, or her masterwork, The Gruffalo. The Gruffalo inhabits a territory never before seen in children's literature. It goes beyond existentialism and metaphysics and yet retains an adorable accessibility that a 2 year old can understand.…
on “Why Children's Books?” ↗…artist/writer combos who are better at the creative side than the education side but they're still pretty good at both. The work of Julia Donaldson stands out as a leader in the field. She's responsible for the Gruffalo, The Snail and the Whale, Tiddler, and loads more. She's also got a series called Songbirds that are far more basic in their prose, but designed for early reading education. It's in those books that you'll…
on “Ask HN: Any Creative AI Uses That Work with Kids?” ↗Yeah, 50 pages of text might get you something. 32 pages of mostly drawings gets you... The Gruffalo ( http://www.amazon.com/Gruffalo-Julia-Donaldson/dp/0142403873... ), a popular book for kids that we also own. So there's nothing wrong with the format, but just don't over promise in terms of what it…
on “Linda Liukas' Programming book for Children has Huge First Day on Kickstarter” ↗…when a toddler, for a long time could recite nearly the full text of his favorite story books with minimal prompting -- does that mean he's inherently a violation of copyright? Because he can recite The Gruffalo almost verbatim when prompted, is he a walking violation of Julia Donaldson's copyright? What about people with photographic memory, that can recite long sections of books verbatim -- are they inherently…
on “Theft is not fair use” ↗