The Ugly Five (Board Book) Award-winning team by Julia Donaldson (author) and Axel Scheffler (illustrator)

The funny and joyful picture book from the number one bestselling author and illustrator of The Gruffalo, Stick Man and Zog.

‘Morning had dawned on the African plain.
The lion lay grooming his glorious mane.
The kudu looked cool and the rhino looked fine.
The bright pink flamingos looked simply divine.
The zebra looked graceful; the leopard look great.
Oh what a picture of beauty – but wait!’

Who’s that singing on the savannah?
The wildebeest, warthog, vulture, hyena and marabou stork swagger proudly across the savannah, rejoicing in their ugliness – and delighting their babies, who think they’re perfect just the way they are.
Inspired by the real-life Ugly Five safari animals, this gorgeous picture book is a celebration of animals who are often rather unloved.

Sturdy board pages with softly rounded corners are perfect for little ones
A funny and comical picture book from the UK’s number one picture book author and illustrator
Perfect read-aloud rhyming text and stunning pictures on every page with lots of details to spot
Full of fabulous animals!
Celebrates being yourself, family and friendship
From the creators of The Gruffalo, Stick Man and Zog, which have all been made into animated films
The animated film of Tabby McTat stars voice artists including Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who) as the narrator, Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey) as Fred, Sope Dirisu (Gangs of London) as Tabby McTat, alongside Cariad Lloyd, Joanna Scanlan and Susan Wokoma.
Look out for Jonty Gentoo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler in 2024.

‘Evoke[s] the love between parents and children of every species’ Guardian

Our October 2020 Ages 0-2 Book of the Month

I have chosen The Ugly Five Board Book as my pick for October, as it’s a great one for that all-important end-of day bedtime moment. It features a lovable bunch of quirky animals that will soon become firm favourites with little ones, helping them engage with words, books and print from an early age in a fun and accessible way.

There is a reason that Julia and Axel’s books are devoured bestsellers and constantly winning awards: Julia’s texts are always the ultimate read-aloud, offering the perfect lyrical pitch of rhythm and rhyme – just what youngsters love to hear. Axel’s pictures are bursting with colour, character and real kid-attraction, with lots to point out, spot and talk about. Kids love animals, and this book celebrates the top five real-life ‘Ugly animals’ of Africa, who learn to rejoice in their ugliness, and whose own babies think they’re perfect just the way they are. With themes of empathy, kindness, acceptance and celebrating difference, it’s a great one for your library.

Experts agree that by reading aloud to your child on a daily basis you bolster their chances for success in school and later life, and help to develop listening and visual skills. Encourage them to touch and hold the sturdy pages and just watch the excitement as they interact. Repetition of words is key to youngsters’ early vocabulary, so try sharing a book every day.

Yvonne – Book Club Editor, Ages 0–6

Product Details

Catalogue number

10 in Setanta SCB September 2025

Format

Board Book

ISBN

9781407189529

Publisher

Alison Green Books

Date published

October 3rd, 2019

Other details

30 pages

Condition

New

Author/Illustrator

Julia Donaldson

Julia Donaldson is author of many of today’s best-loved picture books including The Gruffalo and Stick Man. Best known for her collaborations with Axel Scheffler, each of these vivid rhyming stories is a triumph of imagination. She was also the Children’s Laureate 2011-2013.

More about Julia: "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. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).

Mary and I were always creating imaginary characters and mimicking real ones, and I used to write shows and choreograph ballets for us.

I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.

Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta.

The busking led to a career in singing and songwriting, mainly for children’s television.

One of my television songs, A Squash and a Squeeze, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published.

My real breakthrough was The Gruffalo, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately – he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow – but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.

My novel The Giants and the Joneses is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic Princess Mirror-Belle who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old.

When I’m not writing I am often performing, at book festivals and in theatres. I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs."

Axel Scheffler

Axel Scheffler was born in 1957 in Hamburg, Germany. At school, although always good at art, he never really considered a career in illustration. But long before he began his professional life, he had won his first drawing prize for an international chocolate company – his prize was a cuddly lilac cow.

Axel went on from school to study History of Art at the University of Hamburg – but he didn’t like the course and decided to leave. Knowing that he wanted to live in another country and learn a second language, he moved to England to study illustration at the Bath Academy of Art.

After graduating with a first class degree, Axel moved to London where he began illustrating for a variety of English and German advertising companies, magazines and newspapers. He took his portfolio to a number of publishers and Faber commissioned him to illustrate The Piemakers by Helen Cresswell and The Bottle Rabbit by Bernard McCabe. In 1989, Walker asked Axel to illustrate a text by Jon Blake, You’re a Hero, Daley B.

A writer called Julia Donaldson was also writing songs for Playdays at this time and her song A Squash and a Squeeze was commissioned to be a picture book. Axel Scheffler was recommended as an illustrator for the text and an award-winning team was created.

Their next book, The Gruffalo, was published in March 1999 and has already become a modern classic, selling more than 2 million copies worldwide and translated into over 20 languages. Axel also continues to illustrate for other authors as well, including Ian Whybrow and David Henry Wilson.

Axel has achieved worldwide acclaim for his humorous illustrations, and his books have been translated into over 29 languages. He has enjoyed particular success in his award-winning picture book collaborations with Julia Donaldson, but is also the best-selling illustrator of novelty books such as The Bedtime Bear. In 2006 he was been called upon to design Gordon Brown’s annual Christmas card!

Still living in London, Axel makes frequent visits to continental Europe. His hobbies include walking, cooking and reading and beadwork.