The Gruffalo

Preschooler Books:
The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler

This is the book that dads and grandads love to read to children. A mouse wanders through the wood and is almost eaten by a fox, an owl and a snake. His quick thinking creates a scary creature - the gruffalo - the idea of which scares them all away:

"He has terrible tusks and terrible claws,
And terrible teeth in his terrible jaws."
"Where are you meeting him?"
"Here by these rocks,
And his favourite food is roasted fox."

Soon a real gruffalo turns up, yet the mouse manages to outwit him also.

"Well, Gruffalo," said the mouse, "you see?
Everyone is afraid of me!
But now my tummy's beginning to rumble.
My favourite food is - gruffalo crumble!"

"Gruffalo crumble!" The Gruffalo said,
And quick as the wind he turned and fled.

It's clever, the rhyme is charming, the story is engaging with a little element of fear (depending on how you read it!), and the illustrations are great.

(There is also a sequel - The Gruffalo's Child, which is my opinion is good, but not as good as the orginal)