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Gruffalo
The Gruffalo Song and Other Songs
The Gruffalo is a familiar and much-loved figure in nurseries, schools and homes everywhere. Now he returns in his very own song to offer truly monster music sessions!
32 pages, Hardcover
First published February 9, 2001
59 people want to read
About the author
Julia Donaldson
1,222 books1,893 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.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 3, 2019
Not only does Julia Donaldson tell us more about The Gruffalo but she treats us to a singalong version of his song, on the accompanying CD. And, as always, Axel Scheffler complements the printed music and words of the book with wonderful illustrations.
In an interesting introduction Julia Donaldson explains that she has been writing songs 'since I was a penniless student, busking in Paris'. She adds, 'These days I more often perform them in primary schools than on French café terraces' and with the publication of 'The Gruffalo Song and other songs' she is delighted that she will now be able to answer 'yes' when teachers ask her whether her songs are available in book form.
And this nine-song selection begins with the three-verse 'The Gruffalo', with words such as 'His eyes are orange./His tongue is black./He has purple prickles all over his back.' Then comes 'Funny Face with some lovely Axel Scheffler drawings of children pulling all sorts of faces, followed by the traditional story of 'The Hare and the Tortoise' with the former so sure of winning he has a nap en route and then finds he is second!
'Handy' is about making different animals by the use of one's hands, while 'A Squash and a Squeeze' concerns an old lady whose house is so full she can't move and a wise old man comes along to tell her how to cure that. The old lady ends up 'full of frolics and fiddle-de-dees' because her house then 'isn't a squash and a squeeze'.
'Keep on the Go' is about keeping moving and having fun and it even invites the reader to think up their own appropriate actions to add to the five verses. 'The Wind and the Sun' is about rivalry between the two of them with the former saying, 'I can carry off kites' and the later countering with 'I turn night into day' ... and the pair of them continue in this vein.
'Steering a Great Big Trolley' is about shopping and pushing a trolley around the shop without doing any damage, while the final song, 'Monkey Puzzle' is about a monkey who realises that 'none of the animals look like me' and he debates with a butterfly about other animals who definitely do not look like him.
It's a great book and would be lovely to sing along to, especially with the children.
In an interesting introduction Julia Donaldson explains that she has been writing songs 'since I was a penniless student, busking in Paris'. She adds, 'These days I more often perform them in primary schools than on French café terraces' and with the publication of 'The Gruffalo Song and other songs' she is delighted that she will now be able to answer 'yes' when teachers ask her whether her songs are available in book form.
And this nine-song selection begins with the three-verse 'The Gruffalo', with words such as 'His eyes are orange./His tongue is black./He has purple prickles all over his back.' Then comes 'Funny Face with some lovely Axel Scheffler drawings of children pulling all sorts of faces, followed by the traditional story of 'The Hare and the Tortoise' with the former so sure of winning he has a nap en route and then finds he is second!
'Handy' is about making different animals by the use of one's hands, while 'A Squash and a Squeeze' concerns an old lady whose house is so full she can't move and a wise old man comes along to tell her how to cure that. The old lady ends up 'full of frolics and fiddle-de-dees' because her house then 'isn't a squash and a squeeze'.
'Keep on the Go' is about keeping moving and having fun and it even invites the reader to think up their own appropriate actions to add to the five verses. 'The Wind and the Sun' is about rivalry between the two of them with the former saying, 'I can carry off kites' and the later countering with 'I turn night into day' ... and the pair of them continue in this vein.
'Steering a Great Big Trolley' is about shopping and pushing a trolley around the shop without doing any damage, while the final song, 'Monkey Puzzle' is about a monkey who realises that 'none of the animals look like me' and he debates with a butterfly about other animals who definitely do not look like him.
It's a great book and would be lovely to sing along to, especially with the children.
September 1, 2023
Another childrens book which I luckily found in my mother's bookcase, however this wasn't quite the book I expected. This wasn't the brilliant tale of the Gruffalo but a songbook of his song and some others such as a Squash and a Squeeze and have completely forgotten the others now. Well it was a month ago when I sang/read to some small people sitting on the lawn whilst having tea with relatives.
April 3, 2019
A great book to use in music lessons, the children will be familiar with the stories and therefore be engaged to learn the songs that have been made up.
July 19, 2021
I quite like the Gruffalo Song, and I’ve been very badly playing the piano and singing the song to my kid. Not super fond of the other songs though, tbh.
October 27, 2022
Overly-complicated songs, and I’m a musician! Also, the stories are mostly quite obscure.
June 3, 2015
I've liked everything by Julia Donaldson, but my children weren't as interested in this book as much as the original stories.
March 8, 2014
I like this book because it teaches you New songs.
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July 20, 2018I love songs
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews