A shortcut through the forest to Grandma's house produces some eerie moments - and some oddly familiar characters - in a strikingly illustrated tale about facing fears. One night a boy is woken by a terrible sound. A storm is breaking, lightning flashing across the sky. In the morning Dad is gone and Mum doesn't seem to know when he'll be back. The next day Mum asks her son to take a cake to his sick grandma. "Don't go into the forest," she warns. "Go the long way round." But, for the first time, the boy chooses to take the path into the forest, where he meets a variety of fairy tale characters.

 

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2005 by Walker Books Ltd .

Anthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist and the current Children's Laureate in the United Kingdom, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Silly Billy. He lives in Kent, England.