Lovers of the classic children’s character The Gruffalo are being given a chance to own original artwork by the illustrator who brought him to life.
A silent online auction staged by the Jersey Festival of Words to raise funds to buy books for Island children who rarely, if ever, have access to them will feature four unique pictures donated by Axel Scheffler (pictured), one of the stars of this year’s tenth anniversary festival in September.
The artist, whose work has combined with the words of author Julia Donaldson to create stories loved by generations, gave the Festival four colour drawings he created for his sold-out performance at the Freedom Centre. They will be registered on Bailiwick Auctions and the lots will be live for bidding between 8th and 15th December.
Bringing books to children whose families cannot afford to buy them is an increasingly important element of the Jersey Festival of Words, whose organisers have hailed the 2025 programme as the most successful ever in all respects.
Thanks to contributions from donors and sponsors, channeled through reading charity Every Child Our Future, a record number of books were gifted to children attending the Festival, as well as over 1,000 Jèrriais editions of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In addition, donated second-hand books were given to nursery age children attending the festival’s multi-lingual storytelling sessions in Millennium Park.
Festival Chair Lucy Cotter commented: “It has been inspiring to see this year’s Festival reach more young readers than ever before. Being able to gift books to children who might not otherwise have them is one of the most meaningful parts of our work, and Axel’s beautiful illustrations will help us go even further.
“We’re incredibly grateful for his support and excited to see the difference these funds will make.”
