Books and activities for children who love The Gruffalo
Keep young fans of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s bestselling story entertained with these The Gruffalo books and free activities.

Since it was first published more than twenty years ago, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Gruffalo has been read by children all over the world, adapted for TV and stage, and even brought to life in a woodland walk.
If you’re looking for books for babies and children who love The Gruffalo, read on for our edit of the best picture books, activity books and free downloadable activity sheets featuring the story of the creature with the terrible tusks and the terrible claws.
Find out more about Julia Donaldson’s other books here. Or, if you’re looking for other ways to keep the kids entertained, discover our list of the very best children’s activity books, from stickers to colouring and crafts.
The Gruffalo books for babies and toddlers
Gruffalo, Where Are You?
by Julia Donaldson
A perfect introduction to the classic story for babies and toddlers, this chunky board book features soft fabric flaps on every page. Little ones will love discovering what’s hiding under each flap, while the bright, bold illustrations will keep them enthralled by the story again and again.
The Gruffalo: A Push, Pull and Slide Book
by Julia Donaldson
Push, pull and slide the moving mechanisms to meet all your favourite characters from the deep dark wood in this brilliant board book based on the bestselling classic picture book, The Gruffalo. With a short, simple rhyming text based on the original story, this book is the perfect introduction for preschoolers to The Gruffalo.
My First Gruffalo: Hello Gruffalo! Buggy Book

Take the Gruffalo with you wherever you go with this chunky board book, specially designed for little hands. With bright, colourful illustrations and pages easy for young children to turn, you’ll have no problem keeping your baby or toddler entertained while you’re out and about with this miniature Gruffalo story.
Gruffalo, What Can You Hear?
by Julia Donaldson
This portable board book can be attached to your child’s pushchair, high chair, car seat or just about anywhere with its sturdy clip. Children will love turning the book’s chunky pages as they try to spot their favourite characters from the Deep Dark Wood!
The Gruffalo Touch and Feel Book
by Julia Donaldson
Bring The Gruffalo to life for babies and preschoolers in this touch-and-feel story. Part of the My First Gruffalo series, this illustrated board book has textured elements on every page. Children can feel the Gruffalo’s terrible tusks, knobbly knees, and even his spiky purple prickles as they turn the pages and explore the different textures.
My First Gruffalo: The Gruffalo Puppet Book

Make reading together even more fun with The Gruffalo Puppet Book. The book’s plush Gruffalo hand puppet means you and your child can play out the actions as you read this new story, and meet lots of curious critters along the way!
My First Gruffalo: Gruffalo Growl

Explore the sounds of the Deep Dark Wood in Gruffalo Growl. Young readers will love pressing the sound button and turning the pages of the story to try and find out which of the animals is making such a mysterious growing noise!
The Gruffalo books for 3-5 year olds
The Gruffalo
by Julia Donaldson
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s original story of a brave little mouse and a scary monster has been read and loved by millions of children all over the world. A must-have on any child’s bookshelf, this paperback edition of the classic story has a beautifully redesigned new cover.
The Gruffalo's Child
by Julia Donaldson
Go on an adventure with the Gruffalo’s Child as she sets out on a snowy night to find out if the big, bad mouse really exists. With Julia Donaldson’s trademark rhymes, Axel Scheffler’s illustrations, plus lots of familiar faces they’ll remember from The Gruffalo, little ones will fall in love with this story just as much as the original tale!
The Gruffalo Carousel Book
by Julia Donaldson
Read the much-loved story, then press out the play pieces and join in all the fun with three stunning pop-up play scenes. There are lots of holes to peep through, things to spot and flaps to open, so you can explore the deep dark wood with Mouse, discover Fox's underground house, Owl's treetop and Snake's logpile – but watch out for the Gruffalo hiding in the trees! The Gruffalo Carousel Book includes a special envelope for safe storage of the 9 play pieces and a ribbon closure.
The Gruffalo activity and sticker books
The Gruffalo Sticker Book
by Julia Donaldson
A brilliant gift for children who love The Gruffalo books, packed with fun, creative ideas inspired by the original story. With over 400 stickers, scenes from the book to recreate, colouring sheets, mazes, puzzles and more, this sticker and activity book will keep kids entertained for hours.
The Gruffalo's Child Sticker Book
by Julia Donaldson
Perfect for rainy days and school holidays, this sticker and activity book features all of the characters you know and love from The Gruffalo’s Child. Hundreds of stickers, fun puzzles and quizzes and activities inspired by the story, mean parents will find lots of ideas for activities to do at home in this book.
Find more sticker and activity books for kids here.
Gruffalo Crumble and Other Recipes
by Julia Donaldson
Gruffalo Crumble and Other Recipes is packed full of healthy snacks, sweet treats, and simple meals – all based on the bestselling picture book The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. With twenty-four recipes specially designed for adults to use with children, this cookbook is a great way to introduce Gruffalo fans to cooking and baking.
Find a recipe for delicious Gruffalo Crumble here.
The Gruffalo and Friends Outdoor Activity Book
by Julia Donaldson
Grab your wellies and head outdoors with this fun-filled activity book packed full of outdoor activities for children, based on The Gruffalo and three other bestselling picture books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Packed full of fun outdoor activities with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and lots of hints and tips, the whole family can get involved with exploring nature together!
The Gruffalo Spring and Summer Nature Trail
by Julia Donaldson
Grab your wellies, pack a picnic and head out on an adventure with this colourful nature guide, inspired by the Gruffalo’s habitat, the Deep Dark Wood. Teach children about the nature around them with the book’s colourful illustrated spreads, fun ideas for outdoor projects, nature spotting challenges, and of course, lots of stickers!
The Gruffalo Autumn and Winter Nature Trail
by Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
Wrap up warm and explore the great outdoors with this illustrated nature spotting guide and sticker book for children aged three and older. This activity book is designed to complement the Early Years Foundation Stage of the curriculum. Parents will find loads of inspiring ideas for how to introduce their child to the natural world they can discover as soon as they step out of their front door.
The Gruffalo activities and colouring pages
These printable The Gruffalo activities make great indoor activities for kids of all ages.
The Gruffalo colouring pages
Children big and small can get creative with these free printable A4 The Gruffalo colouring pages featuring best-loved characters from The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child.
Colour in The Gruffalo and all of the other characters from the story with this woodland scene colouring sheet.

Download The Gruffalo woodland scene colouring sheet
Colour in The Gruffalo and his child with this activity sheet.

Download The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child colouring sheet
Aha! Oho! Colour in The Gruffalo’s Child with this downloadable activity sheet.

Download The Gruffalo’s Child colouring sheet
The Gruffalo activities
Help the Gruffalo find the words in the wordsearch
Help the Gruffalo find everything he needs to throw a brilliant birthday party with this word search, designed for children who are learning to read more independently.

Download The Gruffalo wordsearch activity sheet
Help the Gruffalo find his presents in the maze
Show the Gruffalo the way to find the presents for his party with this printable puzzle sheet designed for children aged 3 and up.

Download The Gruffalo maze activity sheet
Spot the difference with the Gruffalo and friends
Challenge children to spot the differences between the snap of the Gruffalo and his friends celebrating his birthday with this printable activity sheet. Once they’ve completed the puzzle, children can copy a scene from the book and make a spot the difference puzzle for an adult or sibling to solve too.

Download The Gruffalo spot the difference activity sheet
Join the dots and colour in the Gruffalo
Children of all ages can complete the scene with this dot-to-dot activity sheet, and colour the Gruffalo in once they’ve finished it.

Download The Gruffalo dot-to-dot activity sheet
Match the characters from The Gruffalo
This printable Gruffalo pairs game can be mounted on cardboard (a cereal box would work well) or laminated so that you can play it again and again. Take it in turns to turn over a card to look for a match, or you could have a go at playing snap with slightly older children.

Download The Gruffalo pairs game activity sheet
Put on a show with these Gruffalo finger puppets
Recreate The Gruffalo or make up a whole new story with these finger puppets. With the cast of curious critters from the book to bring to life, kids will have hours of fun putting on shows featuring the Gruffalo, mouse, fox and more!

Download The Gruffalo finger puppets activity sheet
Make a delicious Gruffalo Crumble
Get the whole family in the kitchen to help bake a delicious crumble that you can all enjoy together. The recipe for this bake is taken from Gruffalo Crumble and Other Recipes. This recipe book features 24 ideas for healthy snacks, sweet treats and simple cooking projects for children inspired by the original The Gruffalo book.
Get the recipe for Gruffalo Crumble
Throw your own Gruffalo party
If your child has a birthday coming up, why not throw them a Gruffalo themed party? From masks to invitations and even a recipe for Gruffalo cake, here’s everything you need to throw a party any young Gruffalo fan will love!
Get everything you need to throw a Gruffalo party
Join Julia Donalsdon in the deep dark wood for this special performance of The Gruffalo: