The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson with pictures by Axel Scheffler, is an amusing story, brilliantly illustrated, centering on the theme of using creativity and intelligence to get yourself out of trouble. Destined to be a favourite of your child between the ages of three to five, you will also love how The Gruffalo easily supports your child’s moral and language development.
The tale begins with a cunning mouse who ingeniously comes up with a plan to outwit the predatory animals that he encounters along a stroll in the woods. Tricking them into believing that he is about to meet up with an imaginary, monster-like creature called a Gruffalo, he manages to escape becoming lunch. When the mouse suddenly comes face-to-face with a real-life, hungry Gruffalo, he uses his cleverness, once again, to devise a plan to outsmart the Gruffalo. Convincing the Gruffalo that he is “[…] the scariest creature in [the] deep dark wood”, the mouse ultimately scares the Gruffalo away and returns to peaceful solitude.
The Gruffalo aids in teaching moral development. With each read, your child will be inspired by the mightiness the tiny mouse exerts. The mouse models the ideal behavior for children. His example of dealing with adversity through cleverness and creativity, as opposed to violence, is valuable to children who are still developing tools to handle situations that occur in their own lives. The mouse’s fierce independence will also be a quality that children who are asserting their own independence can relate to. Children will clearly see the mouse’s reward for his behavior at the conclusion of the story. You will love that he is rewarded by attaining happiness as opposed to material goods.
The Gruffalo also aids in teaching language development. Phonological awareness is easily taught by simply reading the delightfully repetitive, rhyming text. Pausing while reading will allow your child to predict rhyming words. The plot also follows a predictable pattern, supporting narrative structure learning. Expressive vocabulary can be taught by allowing your child to guess the description of the Gruffalo’s appearance. Children really enjoy doing this!
To get the most out of your reading session, try the following tips:
- Start out your storytelling session by asking your child to describe a nature walk that they have been on and any creatures that they encountered along the way.
- Ask your child what they think will happen when a small mouse encounters some bigger, hungry creatures in the woods.
- Following the story, you can ask your child what they thought of the mouse’s actions. What were the results? You can ask your child if they have ever stood up to anyone bigger than them (perhaps an older sibling). Next, if you’re feeling creative, you and your child can create your own Gruffalo by inventing your own description and making a paper bag puppet that your child can use to retell the story on their own.
In closing, I highly recommend reading The Gruffalo. This great example of facing possibly dangerous situations with imagination and resourcefulness is sure to become a favourite read for you and your child. Your child will delight in the engaging illustrations, full of detail and humour, and the playful language. You will love the positive message and how the book helps you to reinforce literacy skills. The Gruffalo is simply so much fun to read together!
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