The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson (1999)

I recently came across the book The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. The gist is a mouse is walking through the woods and meets a fox (and an owl and a snake) who invites him to lunch. Mouse responds to each invitation by telling the animal he is going to meet the gruffalo, a fearsome animal that likes to eat foxes (and owls and snakes). Mouse is then surprised when he comes across a terrible animal that matches exactly his description of the gruffalo, but manages to convince the gruffalo that the mouse is the most fearsome animal in the forest, an idea that is reinforced when all the other animals run away from Mouse (and the gruffalo).

The book is filled with phonologically aware rhythmic text and fun rhymes, plus lots of repetitive text on which kids can chime in ("Silly old Fox! Doesn't he know? There's no such thing as a gruffalo!"). There are also good vocabulary words to share, as well as a fun plot and some slightly spooky moments that are perfect for print motivation. The illustrations are filled with detail, and children can pick out animals and details that aren't mentioned in the storyline but add visual interest.

- Tasha Forrester