A rhyming story about adventure and friendship, The Snail and the Whale is a bestselling classic by the unparalleled picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo.
One little snail longs to see the world and hitches a lift on the tail of an enormous whale. Together they go on an amazing journey – and when disaster strikes and the whale is beached in a bay, it's the tiny snail's big plan that saves the day.
This classic story has sold over 9 million copies worldwide and is a must-have addition to the bookshelves of all Donaldson and Scheffler fans – big and small!
'Bold and brilliant, wise and wacky' - The Times
Look out for Gruffalo Granny, the brand new Gruffalo picture book adventure - coming on 10th September 2026!
Discover more picture books by Julia and Axel: The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child and Room on the Broom.
This is Book 92 in the Read & Respond Series. See all Read & Respond books here.
Julia Donaldson Biography
Julia Donaldson is the highly talented author of some of the best-loved children’s books in the world. Born in London in 1948, she grew up with her younger sister Mary who she loved to create imaginary characters with.
She started her career as a singer-songwriter, writing mainly for children’s television. One of these
Axel Scheffler Biography
Axel Scheffler is an acclaimed illustrator, animator and more recently author of children's books. He was born in Hamburg in 1957 and moved to England in 1982 in order to study illustration at the Bath Academy of Art. He then worked for a variety of advertising companies, magazines and newspapers in both England and Germany
