With Julia Donaldson’s (author of The Gruffalo) trademark quirky humour and rhyming text and Axel Scheffler’s detailed illustrations, there are lots of fun things to spot as you read and reread the text.

The Baddies by Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler | Waterstones The Baddies by Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler | Waterstones

Julia and Axel are the team that have created picture book favourites such as The Gruffalo, Stick Man, Zog and Highway Rat - all of which have been made into animated films premiering on BBC1 Christmas Day. I think her reactions were genuine and she was just doing what felt natural in the moment--which makes it even funnier to me, that she was thwarting them without even trying! With stunning illustrations from Axel Axel Scheffler and intricate details on every page, this is sure to be another treat for little readers to enjoy.The baddies devise different ways to scare her but are unsuccessful as she shows them kindness and understanding. The brand-new picture book from superstar author and illustrator Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is a riot of slapstick fun and silliness. I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise.

The Baddies - Julia Donaldson The Baddies - Julia Donaldson

I was very interested to see a ghost on the cover and throughout who bares resemblance with Marley’s Ghost from Dickens’ famous tale - I think it’s amazing that when the young children come across A Christmas Carol (which the majority in England will due to the GCSE spec) they might recognise the ghost after having The Baddies as a staple household item. My only question is why are the endpapers purple with white polka dots, when the handkerchief that was the main element in the story was blue with white polka dots?

We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. When a little girl moves into a nearby cottage, the Baddies can’t wait to scare her out of her wits.

The Baddies By Julia Donaldson |The Works The Baddies By Julia Donaldson |The Works

They are always so much fun to read with the little people in my life and the illustrations are always bright, cheerful and fun. One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler.Your child will giggle their way through this comic tale of three very bad, silly, and completely hopeless storybook characters who dare each other to steal a hanky-chief from a young girl walking through their woods. Famous for her use of rhyming verse, Julia Donaldson CBE is one of the most popular children's authors of our time and it's easy to see why. Of course, the little mouse saves the day and rids the woods of our pesky villains, and we all sleep more soundly at night. It's decent enough, with bright illustrations, some good rhymes and a brown skinned girl on the front (instead of the usual pink), but this is a mid-range effort in the Donaldson/Scheffler canon. I was intrigued to see that the Ghost was very much drawn in the style of Jacob Marley from Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'.