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Parents' Guide to

The Gruffalo

By Kate Pavao, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Clever mouse puts brains to work in this children's classic.

Book Julia Donaldson Picture Book 1999
The Gruffalo Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 10 parent reviews

Lebron12James3
Lebron12James3 Parent
December 10, 2021
age 18+

So good!

The Gruffalo is an incredible animated comedy movie. The writing is truly fantastic, the characters are complex, the acting is out of this world, the story is amazingly original, and the action scenes are truly epic. I recommend for ages 18 and up because Fox, Owl and Snake and very thicc and lots of violent things
emilyjacob12052
emilyjacob12052 Adult
February 1, 2020
age 2+

Both of my children love the little mouse.

My daughter, 6, loves this book and she reads it at least a couple of times a week. The clever little mouse uses quick thinking to solve his problems and in doing so avoids being eaten. Quick thinking in any stressful situation is crucial to survival in the real world and i feel like this book introduces that to children in a way that they can laugh and think simultaneously.
See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

A little mouse walking through the woods encounters a series of would-be predators, but he scares them off by telling them that he's on his way to meet a fierce gruffalo ("His eyes are orange. His tongue is black. He has purple prickles all over his back.") But after escaping a fox, an owl, and a snake, the mouse actually comes face to face with the creature from his imagination.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10 ):
Kids say (3 ):

The short rhymes and their repetitive structure make THE GRUFFALO a fun book to read aloud. It's true that the mouse is constantly in peril: he's threatened repeatedly by a series of animals who want to eat him -- from a fox to an owl to the gruffalo himself -- but kids won't really worry about his fate. Instead, they'll be impressed with his composure and cleverness. And even with his spiky back and black tongue, the gruffalo manages to look more silly than truly terrifying. Parents, get ready: Your kids are going to want you to read this one again and again -- and they might enjoy the animated special based on the book, too.

The illustrator uses vibrant colors to create the mouse (and gruffalo's!) forest world. His cartoons are all set in the daytime -- so the illustrations never feel ominous. He has been quoted as saying that his original gruffalo was too terrifying -- but readers will be sure to find the final version more silly than scary.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about fables. Do you know what a fable is? What do you think the moral of this story is?

  • The gruffalo is obviously a made-up creature. Parents and kids might have fun imagining and drawing their own fantasy creatures. Would yours have orange eyes and purple prickles up his back like the gruffalo?

Book Details

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