Great essay, I was disappointed to find no reference to the best-selling author Julia Donaldson, or her masterwork, The Gruffalo. The Gruffalo inhabits a terri

Great essay, I was disappointed to find no reference to the best-selling author Julia Donaldson, or her masterwork, The Gruffalo. The Gruffalo inhabits a territory never before seen in children's literature. It goes beyond existentialism and metaphysics and yet retains an adorable accessibility that a 2 year old can understand. Spoilers follow if you are still in the pre-Gruffalo phase of your life. Already in line two of the whole book our protagonist, the mouse, is in mortal danger when the fox thinks "the mouse looked good" (to eat). The mouse digs deeps into his dark imagination and concocts an enemy so abominable, based on his own worst possible fears, in the hope that it also scares away the fox. And by some miracle, a few burnished details and a roaring old wives' tale ("his favourite food is roasted fox") he actually extricates himself from mortal danger in front of this fast and formidable foe. The process is repeated again with the owl and the snake. Each time the mouse digs deeper, building up a fictional image of a catastrophically horrendous creature that no sane animal would ever wish to encounter. Each time scaring off an increasingly deadly enemy. The ongoing survival of the mouse against all odds leads him to a fleeting moment of relaxation... But then, before his own eyes, looming a footstep away...the very projection of his own and his enemies' worst fears. The Gruffalo - that he himself merely imagined - has been instantiated. His nightmare cannot be undone. The mouse must face his own creation. But, we are dealing with a mouse of such pluck and chutzpah we know the story must continue. He tickles the Gruffalo with the preposterous assertion that the mouse is in fact the scariest animal in the wood. Chuckled by this, the Gruffalo entertains himself by following along for a few moments. As they encounter again the snake, owl and fox, each runs in fear of the Gruffalo. But each time the mouse appears to demonstrate that it is in fact him they are running from, not the Gruffalo. Doubts form in the Gruffalo's mind (itself created by the mind of the mouse) and his confidence ebbs (as the mouse's grows). Finally, in the greatest stanza in children's literature, the masterstroke. "Well, Gruffalo," said the mouse. "You see? Everyone is afraid of me! But now my tummy's beginning to rumble. My favourite food is - gruffalo crumble!" This teasing patronisation dispatches the Gruffalo with immediate effect. The mouse has won, against his worst enemies, and against his worst nightmare. From mortal danger he created something even more terrible, and then defeated his own demons with wit and confidence. What a journey! There is no other children's book like this.