Axel Scheffler's Fairy Tales: Axel Scheffler's Fairy Tales: The Hare and the Hedgehog Award-winning author by Axel Scheffler (author and illustrator)

A brilliant twist on the much-loved story of The Hare and the Tortoise, masterfully brought to life by Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo and Zog. When Hare teases Hedgehog about his little legs, Hedgehog is so upset he challenges the long-legged hare to a race. But Hedgehog has got little legs and can’t possibly beat Hare, especially in all his fancy running gear… Together with his wife, can Hedgehog come up with a plan to beat the snooty hare, and prove that hedgehogs are cleverest of all?

A well-known children’s fairy tale story illustrated by the one and only award-winning superstar, Axel Scheffler
Hardback pocket-size format is perfect for little hands
Part of a new series of fairy tale stories illustrated by Axel Scheffler, published by Scholastic – Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Three Little Pigs are out now!
Watch out for Puss in Boots, which is publishing simultaneously!
Translated by Alison Green, author of bestselling picture book Kind
A guaranteed classic, to sit on children’s bookshelves and be cherished for years to come

Product Details

Catalogue number

23 in Setanta SCB September 2025

Series

Axel Scheffler's Fairy Tales

Format

Hardback

ISBN

9780702318290

Publisher

Alison Green Books

Date published

April 13th, 2023

Other details

32 pages

Condition

New

Part of this Series

Axel Scheffler's Fairy Tales

Author/Illustrator

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.