Axel Scheffler Books

Axel Scheffler is one of the UK’s most beloved illustrators. His collaborations with Julia Donaldson have become modern classics, and his drawings of The Gruffalo and Superworm have sparked the imaginations of children worldwide. He’s illustrated postage stamps, a book bench, the walls of children’s hospitals, and won many awards along the way.

We love illustrators here at Books2Door. Take a look at our other collections for beloved artists such as Dr. Seuss, Quentin Blake, Tony Ross and Roger Hargreaves. We also have a section dedicated to picture books, as well as pop-up and lift-the-flap books, which have many books perfect for fans of Axel Scheffler.

Biography

Axel Scheffler was born in 1957 in Hamburg, West Germany. He dropped out of the University of Hamburg and instead did national service caring for the mentally ill. He moved to England in 1982 to study Visual Communications at the Bath Academy of Art. It was during this course that he decided to become an illustrator.

Scheffler illustrated his first book, a reissue of The Piemakers by Helen Cresswell, in 1988. Since then, he’s worked with multiple authors, but his most enduring partnership is with writer and songwriter Julia Donaldson. They were put together by a publishing company that wanted to make one of Donaldson’s songs into a picture book. The result, A Squash and a Squeeze, was published in 1993. This unexpected project launched Donaldson’s children’s book career. When she had the idea for The Gruffalo in 1995, Scheffler was the person she sent it to.

The Gruffalo was published in 1999, and since then, their partnership has gone on to success after success. Their bestselling children’s books are often adapted for Christmas TV, as plays, and are constantly read and re-read by kids worldwide. Axel Scheffler also makes children’s books at Nosy Crow - his popular Pip & Posy series has been adapted for television, and the Flip Flap series is great for kids who are learning to read.

Best-Known Books

Pip & Posy are best friends. But - just like any toddlers - they have to learn what to do when life doesn’t go their way. This series is a hit for readers aged 0-5 and their parents, since it helps them learn to read as well as learn how to be in the world. The Pip & Posy 8 Book Collection is a great value way to start your Pip & Posy library.

The Flip Flap series is perfect for people tired of the same old natural history books. Each volume is spiral-bound and split down the middle. On the right, there’s a drawing of an animal. There’s a rhyme about it on the left, one on each half, and its name is written vertically across the split. You can mix and match any top half with any bottom half, so you and your child will be laughing out loud as you discover strange new hybrid creatures like the “fab” and the “squolphin” together. Each book has eleven combinations of eleven animals - that’s 121! Grab Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Series 8 Books Collection today.