Latest news with #Gruffalo
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Hawke's Bay Roars For More: Extra Show Added For The Gruffalo At Toitoi This July
Blink and you'll miss it—tickets for The Gruffalo are vanishing faster than you can shout, 'Oh help! Oh no! It's a Gruffalo!' In response to overwhelming demand, Toitoi – Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre is thrilled to announce a fourth performance of the beloved show, set for 2pm on Friday, 4 July. The internationally acclaimed production, based on the award-winning picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, has captivated audiences around the world—from London's West End to Broadway. Now, in a rare treat for New Zealand families, this international hit will grace just two cities on its tour: Auckland and Hastings. That makes Toitoi the only regional venue to welcome this theatrical gem. 'We knew The Gruffalo would charm Hawke's Bay, but the demand has exceeded all expectations' says Glen Pickering, Toitoi's Presenter Services Manager. 'When international productions see how enthusiastically our community embraces world-class theatre, it puts Toitoi—and Hawke's Bay—firmly on the map. High-selling seasons like this one help us attract even more exceptional shows from around the globe to our region.' Presented by Tall Stories and CDP Theatre Producers, The Gruffalo brings the enchanting tale of a clever mouse and his imagined monster friend to life with sing-along songs, colourful characters, and vibrant staging. With all three existing performances down to the last few seats, the additional matinee is expected to sell quickly. Tickets for the new 2pm Friday performance are available now at and from the Hastings and Havelock North isites.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The secret meanings hidden in The Gruffalo - as Julia Donaldson confirms first new book in 20 years
After more than 20 years, one of the most successful children's books of all time is getting another installment. A new book in 'The Gruffalo' series, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is set to hit the shelves in 2026. As any parent will likely know, the original tells the tale of a plucky mouse encountering a series of predators – including the eponymous two-horned beast. But if you thought there was nothing more to this best-selling picture book than a charming woodland narrative, you were wrong. According to a scientific study, this 'vibrant and complex text' has hidden political meanings which until now have been overlooked. The 700-word book 'offers an engagement with world politics' and an insight into 'sociopolitical worlds', the study claims. The study was conducted by Lee Jarvis, professor of international politics at the University of East Anglia, and Nick Robinson, professor of politics and international studies at the University of Leeds. As the experts point out, 'The Gruffalo' is a 'spectacularly successful' book with tens of millions of sales across dozens of languages since its publication in 1999. 'The Gruffalo' is the winner of the prestigious Nestle Smarties Prize, while a 2009 poll of BBC Radio 2 listeners identified it as the best bedtime story for children. Inspired by a Chinese folk tale, it tells the story of a mouse strolling through the 'deep dark wood' when he encounters three animals – fox, owl and snake. In turn, these three shady characters ask the quick-thinking mouse to accompany them home for a meal – whereupon they intend to eat it. Although this may sound like a traditional fairy tale set-up, the duo's thorough 9,000-word analysis of the book reveals a complex depiction of international politics with multiple meanings. Firstly, the wood is a metaphor for the world, while the fox, owl and snake are 'self-interested, survival-seekers' akin to global leaders. 'They're all sort of unitary actors that don't engage in any more meaningful way other than to attempt to satisfy their own self interests,' said Jarvis. In the book, the mouse manages to evade the fox, the owl and the snake by conjuring up the terrifying image of the fictional Gruffalo, which has 'sharp teeth', 'terrible claws', 'orange eyes' 'a poisonous wart on the end of his nose' and 'purple prickles all over his back'. This, the team argue, reflects a politician's or a world leader's tendency to invent empty threats to influence other global powers and get what they want. The Gruffalo: Basic plot The Gruffalo tells the story of a mouse strolling through the 'deep dark wood' when he encounters three characters - fox, owl and snake. In turn, these three characters ask the mouse to accompany them home for a meal - whereupon they intend to eat it. But the quick-thinking mouse evades them by inventing a fictional creature, the Gruffalo, with sharp teeth, terrible claws and a wart at the end of its nose. In a major twist about halfway through the book, the Gruffalo turns out to be real. The mouse then proceeds to show the other three creatures the Gruffalo, who all run away the terror. Believing that it's the mouse they find terrifying, the Gruffalo flees as well. Examples include Russian President Vladimir Putin's anti-British propaganda during its war on Ukraine, or Donald Trump's threats to build a wall between the US and Mexico. 'What the book does very nicely is to demonstrate successfully that security threats can be conjured up, can be created, said Jarvis. What's more, 'The Gruffalo' presents a 'fundamental decolonial critique' of the world – where multiple incompatible characters are able to cross paths. In this way, it hints at an increasingly unified world without borders or boundaries – potentially a metaphor for free-flowing movement of citizens. The academics do not claim that author Julia Donaldson was inspired by the global political landscape when writing the book in the 1990s. But they point out that she and illustrator Axel Scheffler have engaged directly in ongoing political conversations in the past. For example, Donaldson suggested that her 2019 book 'The Smeds and The Smoos' could 'very much be seen as a Remain book' following Brexit. Meanwhile, their collaboration on a series of cartoons explaining the Covid crisis include one of the Gruffalo and his child 'stay[ing] in the Gruffalo cave. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Review of International Studies, the paper demonstrates that children's picture books are not 'just for kids'. The authors argue that children's picture books are 'far from trivial, disposable curios' but instead 'important sites of world politics'. 'The Gruffalo's portrayal of mouse's encounter with four predatory carnivores may be read, simply, as a readily identifiable allegory of a characteristically realist anarchical world in which life is nasty, brutish, and short,' they say. 'Building on this, children's picture books also offer potentially important insight into the politics of resistance and/or social values. 'There is rich potential for future research in this nascent field.' Children's books are still dominated by MALE characters, scientists claim after analysing 3,000 stories Children's books are dominated by male characters while female protagonists are being underrepresented, a study reveals. Researchers analysed more than 3,000 fiction and non-fiction books published in the last 60 years, including the Harry Potter series. Although a higher proportion of books now feature female protagonists than in the 1960s, male protagonists remain 'overrepresented', according to the results. It's possible that publishing houses are more drawn to stories featuring male protagonists, which could negatively affect generations of young female readers. 'Parents and teachers appear to prefer classic books (with more male overrepresentation) and boys more than girls appear to have a preference for male characters,' study author Stella Lourenco at Emory University told MailOnline.
The Star
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Aha! Oho! A new 'Gruffalo' book is coming out in 2026, after more than 20 years
It's been more than a quarter of a century since the first Gruffalo book came out. Now a third book is set to be published next year. — Photo: Uwe Anspach/dpa The first new Gruffalo picture book in more than two decades will be released next year. Children's book duo author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler will work on the as-yet untitled Gruffalo story to be published in September 2026. The pair previously teamed up on The Gruffalo in 1999 and the 2004 follow-up The Gruffalo's Child . More than 18.2 million copies were sold, according to Macmillan Children's Books. The original picture book sees a mouse takes a stroll through the woods and encounter various predators who wish to eat him. To escape his fate, he invents a fearsome creature called "The Gruffalo", only to later encounter a real Gruffalo, leading to an unexpected turn of events that showcases the mouse's wit and bravery. Donaldson said that she had the idea for a third Gruffalo story for a while and had been encouraged to complete it by the UK charity National Literacy Trust (NLT). "It was only when the NLT, whose work I'm very impressed by, used the first two books as part of their Early Words Matter programme that I was spurred on to get my idea out of the cupboard and see once and for all if I could turn it into a really satisfying story," she said. "To my surprise, I managed to do just that! I was, of course, delighted when Axel came on board, and am even more so now that I've seen the brilliant sketches he's already done for the new book. I really hope that children - and adults too - will enjoy the new story, as I know what a wonderful experience shared reading can be." Scheffler said: "Never say never - a lesson learnt for me who, whenever asked, denied the possibility of another visit to the deep dark wood. Till one day out of the blue there came a wonderfully clever and inspired new text by Julia. "How does she do this? Could I decline? Of course not! As I have had to draw the odd Gruffalo and his daughter over the last 20 years, I'm not completely out of practice." Alison Ruane, managing director of Macmillan Children's Books said the book will be a "true landmark publishing event". – dpa
Straits Times
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Julia Donaldson's Gruffalo to return in new story in 2026
Julia Donaldson (right) and Axel Scheffler are the author and illustrator respectively of The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child. PHOTO: REUTERS LONDON - English writer Julia Donaldson's Gruffalo, the globally popular children's character, will return in a new storybook next year, publisher Macmillan Children's Books said on May 1. It will mark the fearsome but easily fooled monster's first fresh adventure in more than 20 years. Donaldson's two earlier stories, The Gruffalo (1999) and The Gruffalo's Child (2004), have together sold over 18.2 million copies globally, delighting children and parents alike with their lyrical couplets and colourful illustrations. Donaldson, 76, said she was inspired to write the as-yet untitled third Gruffalo story after seeing how the National Literacy Trust (NLT) charity had used the previous tales in their work encouraging young children to read. 'I actually had the basic idea for the story a long time ago, but couldn't think how to develop it,' she said in the press release announcing the forthcoming book. 'It was only when the NLT … used the first two books as part of their Early Words Matter programme that I was spurred on to get my idea out of the cupboard and see once and for all if I could turn it into a really satisfying story. To my surprise, I managed to do just that.' German illustrator Axel Scheffler, whose instantly recognisable artwork brought the characters to life, said he could not turn down the opportunity to work on the new tale, despite having previously denied the possibility of a new Gruffalo book. 'One day, out of the blue, there came a wonderfully clever and inspired new text by Julia. How does she do this? Could I decline? Of course not,' the 67-year-old said. 'As I have had to draw the odd Gruffalo and his daughter over the last 20 years, I'm not completely out of practice.' REUTERS The Gruffalo (1999) and The Gruffalo's Child (2004) have together sold over 18.2 million copies globally. PHOTO: THE GRUFFALO/FACEBOOK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Opinion Welcome back, Gruffalo
Like Pooh drifting back to the Hundred Acre Wood or Peter Rabbit stealing once more into Mr McGregor's garden, there's a rustle in the forest, a whisper of childhood come again. After more than two decades, British writer Julia Donaldson and German illustrator Axel Scheffler's goofball of a monster, Gruffalo, is set to return, complete with 'knobbly knees and turned-out toes and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose'. The first book, The Gruffalo, appeared in 1999, followed by The Gruffalo's Child in 2005. The news of the third in the picture-book series, to be published in September 2026, comes like the visit of a long-lost friend: Unexpected, thrilling, and utterly welcome. In the world of picture books, Donaldson is no meek mouse but a monster cult. The story of a little mouse's clever defiance in a predator-filled forest has been part of the architecture of childhoods across generations, a resounding validation at a time of brief attention spans. She had set out to write a play based on a Chinese tale about a tiger, but Donaldson's inability to find a word rhyming with 'tiger' led, instead, to the serendipitous birth of Gruffalo. Children's literature is replete with storied comebacks. A A Milne's characters outlived him to amble through sequels; Narnia flickered anew in later tales; even Paddington resurfaced for marmalade-sticky adventures. So what might Gruffalo find emerging from his cave? A world bleaker and more complicated but still full of children alive to the thrill of believing in the impossible. That sometimes the shadows in the wood shift just enough to reveal familiar silhouettes. That monsters can make for good friends, and that courage can come in the smallest, squeakiest of packages.
