The Baddies

The Baddies are the meanest ghost, witch and troll in the land. They adore being bad and fight over who is the nastiest. When a little girl moves into a nearby cottage, the Baddies can't wait to scare her out of her wits, but will they succeed? The new picture book from the creators of The Gruffalo is a riot of silliness and fun.



"Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler are the Lennon and McCartney of children's publishing" Sunday Times This fabulous picture book from superstar author and illustrator Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is a riot of slapstick fun and silliness. The Baddies are the meanest, nastiest ghost, witch and troll in the land. They just adore being bad, and fight over who is the worst. When a little girl moves into a nearby cottage, the Baddies can’t wait to scare her out of her wits. But the little girl quickly shows them that you don’t have to be big to be brave, and baddies don’t always win. This hardback edition with a protective dust-jacket is a gift for a lifetime Perfect read-aloud rhyming text and stunning pictures on every page with lots of details to spot Julia and Axel are the team that have created picture book favourites such as The Gruffalo, Stick Man, Zog and Highway Rat - all of which have been made into animated films premiering on BBC1 Christmas Day. The Smeds and the Smoos animation debuted on BBC1 Christmas 2022 with voice artists including Bill Bailey (comedian and Strictly winner), Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton), Sally Hawkins (Paddington movies) and Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey). More praise for The Baddies: '[The Baddies] is every bit as charming and wonderful and funny as you'd imagine' Nihal Arthanyake, BBC Radio 5 Live 'A mean ghost, witch and troll try, yet hilariously fail, to frighten a girl in this brilliant new tale from the superstar picture book duo' The Bookseller 'Keeps little ones grinning and guffawing from the first colour-soaked page to the last hilarious line of this fresh, funny and exuberant rhyming story ... With Donaldson's heartwarming, inspirational messages about being brave and standing up to bullies, a wise and enchanting story in a rhyme perfectly created for reading aloud, and Scheffler's stunning and richly detailed illustrations providing lots to spot on every page, this is a creative partnership made in children's reading heaven!' Lancashire Evening Post