The Gruffalo

Oly's favorite two books at the moment are Jack and the Beanstalk (if you say "Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum" she'll say "I smew da bwud of a engwishman!") and The Gruffalo. Not two stories that are necessarily for the faint of heart. The Gruffalo is a great book about a mouse who tricks various predators into not eating him. Oly certainly doesn't understand the nuanced manipulation that makes the story so great, but loves mice, snakes, foxes, owls, giant monsters and RHYMES so she's into it. She recites it frequently, but is always done by the time we find the camera.

In the translation below, most of what she's reciting is what is happening on the page she is looking at. Some is other lines from other parts of the book.

His eyes are orange, his tongue is black, sharp purple prickles cover his back!

Where are you meeting him?

Here, by these rocks. And his favorite food is roasted fox!

Goodbye little mouse! I'm surprised you don't know. <- from another part of the book

The mouse....What's the mouse doin' Papa Guy?

And his favorite food is Owl...... ice cream <- skipped a page

Silly old owl, doesn't he know? There's no such thing as a gruffalo!

On went the mouse through the deep dark wood.

A snake saw the mouse... and the mouse looked good.

Where are you going to little brown mouse?

Come and have lunch in my underground house (house).

It's very kind of you snake, but NO. I'm going to have lunch with a gruffalo.

A gruffalo mouse? What's a gruffalo?

A gruffalo snake? I'm surprised you don't know!

His eyes are orange, his tongue is black, sharp purple prickles cover his back!

Where are you meeting him?

Here by this lake. And his favorite food is scrambled snake.

Snake said, Goodbye little mouse! <- not quite how it goes in the book

Silly old snake, doesn't he know? There's no such thing as a gruffal.......

OH! But what's this creature with terrible claws? And terrible teeth in his terrible jaws!