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Gruffalo
My First Gruffalo: Touch-and-feel book
Touch the Gruffalo's terrible tusks, feel his knobbly knees and tickle his purple prickles in this bold, eye-catching book with touch-and-feel elements on every page. Part of the exciting new "My First Gruffalo" series, this title features all your favourite characters from the "Deep Dark Wood". The nation's favourite bedtime story made perfect for small paws.
- GenresChildrensPicture Books
12 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2011
4 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Julia Donaldson
1,223 books1,900 followersGrowing up
I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).
Mary and I were always creating imaginary characters and mimicking real ones, and I used to write shows and choreograph ballets for us. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes.
I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.
Busking and books
Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta.
The busking led to a career in singing and songwriting, mainly for children’s television. I became an expert at writing to order on such subjects as guinea pigs, window-cleaning and horrible smells. “We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC.
I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.
One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.
My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.
I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.
Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.
When I’m not writing I am often performing, at book festivals and in theatres. I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs. When Malcolm can take time off from the hospital he and his guitar come too. and it feels as if we’ve come full circle - back to busking.
I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).
Mary and I were always creating imaginary characters and mimicking real ones, and I used to write shows and choreograph ballets for us. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes.
I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.
Busking and books
Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta.
The busking led to a career in singing and songwriting, mainly for children’s television. I became an expert at writing to order on such subjects as guinea pigs, window-cleaning and horrible smells. “We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC.
I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.
One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.
My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.
I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.
Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.
When I’m not writing I am often performing, at book festivals and in theatres. I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs. When Malcolm can take time off from the hospital he and his guitar come too. and it feels as if we’ve come full circle - back to busking.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 21, 2016
Every child should read at least one Gruffalo storybook! This one is aimed at younger readers. It has touch and feel pages, making it ideal for babies. I enjoyed reading it to my four month old!
April 19, 2023
Me da un poco de miedo.
September 16, 2013
The Gruffalo is about a tiny mouse walking in the 'deep' and 'dark' woods but is confident that he has his wit to protect him. Along the way he meets many predators that want to eat him, but he describes a scary gruffalo which scares them away. Towards the end, the rather clever mouse ends up meeting the Gruffalo and outwits him too like he did the others.
I liked this book simply because it was simple but tactical. There are antonyms like 'big and little' that allows children to be able to decipher the difference. In addition, the book is filled with rhyme and encourages the children to read more and more. The excellent illustrations helps hold short attention span of very young children further, but also with the addition of the touch and feel edition to the book, it enhances the excitement of turning each page of the book even more.
The one aspect that I don't like about this touch and feel edition is that it shortens the story of a much loved children's book but I gathered it was with an aim to cater for much younger children.
In terms of the classroom setting, it is great to use as a whole classroom reading session, with particular children having the opportunity to take turns having a feel of the Gruffalo's furry belly or rough teeth. Certainly, it caters for children who may have little or no sight and will benefit from this book so that they can engage with the book using their other senses.
I liked this book simply because it was simple but tactical. There are antonyms like 'big and little' that allows children to be able to decipher the difference. In addition, the book is filled with rhyme and encourages the children to read more and more. The excellent illustrations helps hold short attention span of very young children further, but also with the addition of the touch and feel edition to the book, it enhances the excitement of turning each page of the book even more.
The one aspect that I don't like about this touch and feel edition is that it shortens the story of a much loved children's book but I gathered it was with an aim to cater for much younger children.
In terms of the classroom setting, it is great to use as a whole classroom reading session, with particular children having the opportunity to take turns having a feel of the Gruffalo's furry belly or rough teeth. Certainly, it caters for children who may have little or no sight and will benefit from this book so that they can engage with the book using their other senses.
May 29, 2021
At 14 months, my son doesn’t always have the patience to listen to the whole of the Gruffalo so this little touch and feel book which takes the characters and well known elements of bits of the story to make a fun interactive board book is perfect for his age group. He loves when I read this to him, it always makes him smile- particularly when we get to the last part when the tension mounts as we turn to the last page with the sleeping Gruffalo on it. A must for younger children who love bits of The Gruffalo but aren’t always up for listening to all of it.
May 25, 2016
Awww! I miss this stage and "night night guffo"
May 24, 2022
Can’t wait to read the real Gruffalo
January 29, 2018
A nice introduction to the Gruffalo
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews