Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose - Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt

It might seem a strange idea, a band of animals ranging from a gazelle to a moth getting together to have a meal of macaroni and carrots followed by chocolate mousse, but in the realm of children's books anything is possible. Julia Donaldson has in fact created a wonderful book bursting with rhyme, adjectives and the idea of differing personalities in Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose. The title is actually based on a line from one of the pages and the alliteration probably makes it the most obvious one to have been chosen.

On each page we meet a different animal, and there is one line of text at the top where the animal makes a comment on the meal they are having, such as 'Carrots – yuck!' says fussy Duck, or 'I'll lick the bowl,' says furry Mole. Most of the animals are described by an adjective: Rabbit is angry (because Goose has grabbed the mousse), whereas Moth is happy (because he can eat the cloth when all the food is gone). After the meal, helpful Pup suggests washing up, but lazy Sheep thinks it would be much nicer to have a sleep. On the final double page we see all sixteen animals snoozing on the sofa under a patchwork quilt.

The idea of all the animals being together is suggested in the illustrations, where on the extreme left-hand side we see part of the animal from the previous page, and on the extreme right-hand side is a little bit of the next animal that is coming up. Nick Sharratt's illustrations are bold and attractive for young children (although I was looking at this book alongside 'Doing the Animal Bop' and didn't find the colour scheme worked quite as well, but perhaps I'm just a fussy duck). I do, however, appreciate the expressions that he has given to the animals according to their different moods and feelings.

For me this is a super book in terms of language, especially the rhyming patterns. The adjectives too contribute a good deal, and it would be interesting to ask a young child why the white Swan is sad or why the Cow is busy. For a slightly older child, you could play a memory game after reading the book, asking which animal was shy or which was fussy, or even how the Moth was described. Because it is so concise and contains so many rhymes, children around the age of four are quite likely to memorize parts of the text or perhaps the whole book. For very young children, it is an excellent way of helping them to learn what various animals look like and it could be interesting as a tie-in with a visit to a zoo. Slightly older children might have fun trying to remember all sixteen animals after the book has been closed.

This is a very short picture book based around a clever idea and presented in an excellent way in terms of both language and illustrations. It could be read aloud to children aged from two upwards. For young independent readers, there are a few tricky words, but the illustrations will of course be a great help in enabling them to work out the names of the animals. I definitely recommend this for children aged between two and five, possibly six, and the Amazon price of £3.49 is excellent value.

Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose

by Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt

Macmillan Children's Books, 2006

Paperback, 24 pages

ISBN 140502190X

Price £5.99 (£3.59 on Amazon)

The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson

Although entitled 'The Gruffalo', the star of Julia Donaldson's story is actually a tiny, but very clever little mouse. This mouse seems capable of outwitting any creature in the wood who has designs on making a meal of him.

As mouse takes a stroll through the wood, he meets a fox, an owl and a snake in turn. Each of them invite him back to their lair for either lunch, tea or a feast. Mouse knows full well, however, that they intend to eat him up, so he tells each one that he is meeting a gruffalo for a meal. The other creatures have never heard of a gruffalo of course, so mouse gives them a few details about his appearance to frighten them. Amongst the gruffalo's features are terrible claws, a poisonous wart on the end of his nose, and purple prickles on his back. When each animal is sufficiently scared, the mouse says what the gruffalo's favourite food is. It is not always the same, according to mouse: to fox he says it is roasted fox, to owl he says owl ice cream, and to snake he says scrambled snake. Each time this produces the desired effect of making the animal in question flee and leave little mouse alone.

As mouse continues his stroll, however, he comes face to face with the gruffalo! He is initially panic stricken, but when the gruffalo says the mouse is his favourite food, it doesn't take our tiny hero long to come up with a plan. He tells the gruffalo that everyone is terrified of mouse, and that he can prove it if the gruffalo would care to walk behind him through the wood. The gruffalo, apparently not the brightest creature, is completely taken in and follows mouse back through the wood. When they encounter snake, owl and fox, each one is alarmed by the sight of the gruffalo and disappears in a flash. The gruffalo is convinced that they are afraid of mouse. When mouse eventually announces that his favourite food is gruffalo crumble, the gruffalo cannot get away fast enough. Mouse is all by himself in the wood, having escaped his enemies, and he finds a great big nut to eat.

The charm of 'The Gruffalo' is not just in the story itself but in the delightful verse that Julia Donaldson has used as a means of imparting it to her readers. Almost the entire tale unfolds in rhyming couplets with a strong rhythm that is particularly well suited to reading aloud. As well as alliteration, there is plenty of repetition of phrases used each time mouse meets a different animal. Young children will find it easy to join in here and there as they get used to hearing the same line every so often. The font is very clear; although there is some use of italics, most of the text is printed on a white background to allow for easy reading. There are just a couple of instances where the text is on a yellow-orange background.

Axel Scheffler has provided wonderful illustrations for the story. There are several double-page spreads, including the one where an astonished mouse encounters the fearsome gruffalo, and three full-page pictures. The remaining pages have smaller illustrations, but all are in full colour. Young children will find the expressions of the animals delightful. As well as the main characters, there are a woodpecker, a kingfisher, a frog, a squirrel, a dragonfly and others to look out for.

'The Gruffalo' is intended mainly as a read-aloud picture book for children of three upwards, but could also be suitable for young independent readers. The vocabulary is varied but not too challenging, and the repeated phrases will encourage those who still lack confidence. Although the gruffalo is a large, scary animal, Scheffler depicts him in such an appealing way that young children are unlikely to be genuinely frightened by him. It might, even so, be advisable to read this during daylight hours rather than introducing it as a bedtime story.

Julia Donald has created a masterpiece of a story in 'The Gruffalo', and the book was winner of the Smarties Book Prize Gold Award for children aged 0-5 in 1999. Axel Scheffler has obviously played an important part in the success of this picture book as well. 'The Gruffalo' is a must in any household with young children, as it is likely to appeal equally well to boys and girls. Preschool classrooms are sure to have a copy for reading aloud as well as to provide inspiration for drama sessions. Highly recommended.

The Gruffalo

Julia Donaldson (author), Axel Scheffler (illustrator)

Macmillan 1999

Paperback, 32 pages

ISBN 0333710932

Price £5.99 (Amazon £3.59)