Queen Mary’s Doll House Edition : The Gruffalo
A brand new miniature format of the children’s classic The Gruffalo has recently been published, and it is the ultimate keepsake for fans of this absolute gem of an adventure, with children and adults afforded the opportunity to own and enjoy a piece of history in the making for the world of children’s literature.
I have never met a child who isn’t familiar with the children’s classic The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, and I worked in a primary school where this book was shared as a class read in reception classes. So when I had the opportunity to get my hands on this beautiful miniature version of this much loved book I was ecstatic. The cover is so beautiful, with the Gruffalo featuring at its centre like a logo, and the beautiful colouration of the green cover, all of which will no doubt be a nod to Queen Mary’s era, and the foil detail edging to the pages absolutely seals this as a stunning book to add to your home, and one that desires to be cherished by those of us that are absolutely in love with books that have had an impact on us, whatever the reason, and The Gruffalo sure does that to readers, myself included.
The size of this edition of the book makes it perfect for little hands, and for those of you that are fascinated with the journey that took place in order for a book to come to be published you will love the publishers note included inside this book that explains how it is part of a commisioned addition to Queen Mary’s doll house library, a fascinating library in of itself, and Julia Donaldson handwrote this book for the library, with the incredibly talented Axel Scheffler drawing new illustrations to go with those we already know and love in the book, and this published book is a scanned copy of the copy that now lives in the library in windsor Castle. To be able to hold a piece of modern day literary hostory in ones hands is such a special experience that this book affords you, and with 60 new illustrations inside this edition it sure does seperate it in such a special anf significant way from the well thumbed picture book version we have on our family bookcase.
The Gruffalo story unfolds inside this book, with beautiful handwritten format sentences, and stunning full colour illustrations adorning each and every page, including those new ones specifically created for this book, and they are obviously now iconic illustrations that children and parents alike have come to recognise and love. Axel has the most amazing talent of instilling so much detail and evident passion for portraying the unfolding scene in each and every illustration, and this ensures that children can follow along with the story whilst imagining the characters and their surroundings as the little mouse progresses through the deep dark woods – meeting foes along the way before becoming familiar with the Gruffalo himself.
I will eagerly await information on any other additions to the Queen Mary’s Doll House Library, though I would imagine it is infrequent as it is high praise indeed for a modern day classic to be included. I really love the attention to detail that has gone into every part of this book, and I know we will cherish it for generations to come.
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