‘The Gruffalo’ to be featured story for April’s ‘Reading with Friends’
Young readers will have a rollicking good time as they root for an enterprising mouse who makes up a terrifying monster — a gruffalo — to scare off would-be bullies. The children’s story “The Gruffalo” will be featured at the next “Reading with Friends” on Friday, April 7.
The cheerful, rhyming text will lead Concordia preschoolers through the forest as the tale of the imaginary gruffalo becomes more and more menacing. Soon all of the mouse’s tormentors are scared away. The mouse scoffs at them, for everyone knows “There’s no such thing as a gruffal… .” But a turn of the page reveals — you guessed it — a gruffalo, that thinks the mouse will “… taste good on a slice of bread.” Undaunted, the rodent devises a plan to frighten the monster off.
The story, by author Julia Donaldson with illustrations by Axel Scheffler, is an international best-selling and award-winning sensation with more than 13.5 million copies in print worldwide. It has been made into an Oscar-nominated animated film and a stage musical that was performed on Broadway. It was voted England’s favorite bedtime story. Ron Elniff of Concordia will be the guest reader.
The “Reading with Friends” monthly story times for children ages 3, 4 and 5 begin at 10 a.m. at Neighbor to Neighbor, 103 E. Sixth St. Each session includes playtime and a snack, plus children receive a free copy of that day’s book to take home. Parents, grandparents and other caregivers are invited to enjoy coffee and snacks downstairs at the day center for women while the story is being read upstairs.
There is a limit of 30 children per session so parents need to register for each session in advance by calling Neighbor to Neighbor at 785/262-4215 or mailing neighbortoneighbor@csjkansas.org.
The monthly program has been part of Neighbor to Neighbor’s regular offerings since September 2012. This is the final session for the 2016-17 school year.
“Reading with Friends” is funded in part by a grant from the Dane G. Hansen Fund, through the Community Foundation for Cloud County.