The Gruffalo's Child

December 13, 2004
Using a plot line and characters familiar to fans of The Gruffalo
, this sequel introduces the appealing Gruffalo's child, a wide-eyed, fuzzy gal with barely budding horns, who goes in search of the mythical Big Bad Mouse. The repetitious tag lines ("Aha! Oho! A trail in the snow!/ Whose is this trail and where does it go?") speed the plot along as the brave Gruffalo's child decides that neither snake nor owl match her father's description of the villain in question. Scheffler's amiable depiction of the baby gruffalo in "the deep dark wood" builds up plenty of empathy for the galumphing youngster, who finally meets the mouse hero of the first Gruffalo tale. From this point on readers' sympathies and understanding of the story's theme may be tugged in more than one direction as the amiable Gruffalo child reveals his monster nature and decides to gobble up the mouse for a midnight treat. Then the clever mouse tricks the baby and sends the frightened Gruffalo child scurrying back to papa, and it's the mouse who follows the footprints ("Aha! Oho!") . They lead him to the cave where the Gruffalo's child, "a bit less brave... a bit less bored," snuggles in the protective arms of her father. Scheffler fills the illustrations with child-friendly images—the mouse's Gruffalo snowman, and the furry female's cave drawings—to make this Gruffalo child seem not very scary at all. Ages 4-up.

Imelda Staunton narrates this companion to THE GRUFFALO with as much dramatic flair as she brought to the first volume. The story is framed by a cautionary tale told by the Gruffalo to his children. Fear infuses Staunton's portrayal as the creature remembers his own scary encounter with the "big bad mouse." Boldly, one of the Gruffalo's curious children tiptoes out of a cave filled with the snores of her parent into the "deep, dark" wood. Staunton animates the confrontations with Fox, Snake, and Owl, who also appeared in the first story. Again, the drama builds and ends with a surprising twist that proves satisfying. Staunton sings "The Gruffalo's Child" with pleasing rhymes, rhythms, and interpretations. S.W. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine