Gruffalo's child is the best-selling follow-up to The Gruffalo and tells a similar tale but in reverse. This time the mouse only shows up at the end for a climax that is as funny as it is unexpected.....

The Gruffalo lives in fear of the big, bad woods. Once upon a time he encountered a fearsome enemy in the woods who scared him off and caused him to flee......and now he warns his daughter, The Gruffalo's Child, to likewise keep her distance. At night he tells her of the feirce mouse that lives in the woods and the one and only time he encountered him. But rather than put her off, The Gruffalo's Child is intrigued....

When her dad is asleep, she sneaks out of their den and sets off for the woods. Once again, as in the first book, she encounters a series of animals and each of them adds to the legend of The Big, Bad Mouse that appeared in the first tale. Until finally, turning a corner, she stumbles across the mouse herself....

Once again this is a beautiful tale, told through rhyme, that follows a simple story. Anybody who loved the original will likewise find plenty to enjoy here too and I love the way that here, just as in the first book, the rhyme has been made deliberately easy to learn so that your child can join in during repeated readings.

The illustrations are once again simply delightful and look closely and you might even see a small nod to one of Donaldson and Schaffer's earlier novels. The Gruffalo's Child, for most of the story, carries a little Stickman everywhere she goes and, of course, one of their earlier books designed for children was in fact called Stickman!

Again this book has been given over-exposure and it might well be that you are sick to the back teeth of The Gruffalo and everything that comes with it but trust me, this book is a real joy to read. Though perhaps not quite as much fun as The Gruffalo, it is still cute, funny and amusing and a lovely book for bedtime that always raises a smile!