If you have children, or have been around children, or are vaguely aware of the general existence of children, then you are almost certainly familiar – at an absolute minimum –  with the work of the softly-spoken, kind-eyed German man I have been sent to interview as part of the Scottish Book Trust’s 2024 Christmas Campaign.

Axel Scheffler could walk down any street without being recognised, but he has made a contribution to children’s literature, and lives, that is impossible to quantify – in fact, his work would be in the conversation for the best known, and most loved, of all time.

This is, after all, the man who has brought so many of Julia Donaldson’s wonderful characters to life. The best known of these is, of course, the Gruffalo, who has become a worldwide phenomenon in the quarter century since he was imagined into existence.

Today, you can read the story in more than 100 languages and dialects but, no matter where you go, the Gruffalo is always the Gruffalo – from the poisonous wart on the end of his nose down right to the claws on his turned-out toes.

So, I ask, how does it feel to be so connected to such a famous story and character? What is it like to know that so many people carry your work around in their memories?

“That's a difficult question,” he replies. “On one hand I'm really touched and it's great to have the success of a book that is so tremendously popular all over the world now. The Gruffalo seems to be successful wherever he stomps about.

“And on the other hand, of course, it's a bit strange to have this fame.”

That last line isn’t delivered for effect – Scheffler genuinely seems amazed, even after all this time, that his work means so much to so many people.

He tells me that he started doing illustrations for children’s books “maybe in ’86, ’87…” and that he did his first book with “Julia” a few years later. Before that he had produced editorial illustrations for “lots of magazines and newspapers” in London, but producing the artwork for picture books involved a different, slower process:

“They had to find the right text because I don't write my own stories, so I had to wait a bit until they found something that was appropriate. And then Julia and I were brought together by a publisher.

“She wrote the story for the BBC as a song and then there was the idea to make a picture book out of that. I had a friend who worked for the publisher at the time and she suggested me and the rest is history.”

It is indeed. Alongside The Gruffalo, Scheffler has also illustrated other Donaldson stories like Room on the Broom, Tiddler, Tabby McTat and – my personal favourite – The Snail and the Whale. He has also collaborated with other authors, worked on books for older children, and even produced a new, originally-drawn version of T.S. Eliot’s famous and much-loved Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

Axel Scheffler and James McEnaney discuss the impact of stories like The GruffaloAxel Scheffler and James McEnaney discuss the impact of stories like The Gruffalo (Image: Colin Mearns / The Herald)

But across all those projects, one thing remains the same: Scheffler is an illustrator, not an author, and the distinction matters.

“I need a text to get going,” he says. “I'm always relying on an author and obviously I've found one of the best. Julia is amazing with her variety of stories and how wonderful her stories are to read aloud – and also to inspire me to do pictures.”

But their work happens “completely separately”, with communication happening via the editor and, it seems, little if any back-and-forth required:

“So I get the text, I read it, and I decide whether I want to illustrate it.

“Julia gets to see my sketches and can comment on those, but usually she's quite happy with what I do.”

Before we sat down to talk, Scheffler had been the guest on a special Authors Live event that was broadcast online by the BBC. I arrived in time to catch the last few minutes as he answered children’s questions and talked to them about drawing, and even from the back of the room the sense of excitement and happiness was undeniable. At the end, once the pupils had filed out, a queue of adults looking for signatures formed instead.

The pictures that Scheffler has drawn, and the stories they have helped bring to life, exist well beyond the pages on which they are printed. For many of us, they are tightly bound up with some of our most precious memories and deepest feelings, and they clearly speak across generations.

What is it like to have that sort of impact, and to bring so much joy to so many – including all those who came to see him today?

“Yeah, that is obviously a great thing,” he replies, the lightness of his tone sharply contrasting with the weight of his contribution.

“And not just the children but the parents as well saying they love the story – it's always the greatest compliment when the parents enjoy the books as well.

“The books are very popular and any child in the UK, and in Germany as well now, who has books at home probably has some of our books, and then not only just one but several.

Scheffler tells me that, to him, it is “it's blatantly obvious that reading is important for children from a very early age, both to understand the world and to connect to the world, and so is reading together with parents.”

“To be part of this process which I find so important – reading to children – and be able to think of how many households every night read one of our books. Yes, it’s amazing to have that.

“But,” he adds with a smile, “also slightly weird.”

If you would like to make sure a disadvantaged child gets a new book for Christmas, you can donate to our appeal with Scottish Book Trust. 

Donations support gifting books to families who need them most through food banks and community hubs. 

To bring a child magic, comfort and joy this festive period, visit scottishbooktrust.com/donate 

(Image: Scottish Book Trust)