The Snail and the Whale

In this classic board book format comes the thrilling tale of a tiny snail and a great big grey-blue humpback whale .

A rhyming story about adventure and friendship, The Snail and the Whale is a bestselling classic by the unparalleled picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo.

One little snail longs to see the world and hitches a lift on the tail of an enormous whale. Together they go on an amazing journey – and when disaster strikes and the whale is beached in a bay, it's the tiny snail's big plan that saves the day.

This classic story has sold over 9 million copies worldwide and is a must-have addition to the bookshelves of all Donaldson and Scheffler fans – big and small!

'Bold and brilliant, wise and wacky' - The Times

Look out for Gruffalo Granny, the brand new Gruffalo picture book adventure - coming on 10th September 2026!

Discover more picture books by Julia and Axel: The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child and Room on the Broom.

Contributor: Axel Scheffler (Illustrated by)

Illustrator: Axel Scheffler

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.