COLOURFUL, characterful works by the much-loved children’s illustrator Axel Scheffler will be on display at the National Trust’s Mottisfont from tomorrow.

Axel Scheffler has been creating imaginative illustrations for more than 30 years, and is perhaps best-known for his collaborations with Julia Donaldson, including the modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child, which have sold over 17 million copies worldwide and been translated into over 70 languages.

Full of expressive characters and quirky details, Scheffler’s ink-wash and pencil style is instantly recognisable. Mottisfont’s exhibition will showcase illustrations from The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child, as well as Stick Man, The Snail and the Whale, Room on the Broom, Zog and many more – including some original preparatory sketches. Most of the works featured are from his famous collaborations with Julia Donaldson, with a few other earlier pieces.

Axel Scheffler has illustrated over 100 books in total. He loved drawing from a young age; originally from Germany, he came to England to study illustration at the Bath Academy of Art in Corsham, Wiltshire. After illustrating editorial and books for a variety of newspapers and publishers, Scheffler was partnered with Donaldson, setting in motion a collaboration that has spanned 25 years.

Mottisfont’s exhibition will be very family-focused. The gallery will be laid out to suit younger audiences, with lower-hanging pictures, a child-friendly guide, and cosy reading spaces dotted throughout. It will be an immersive experience, with large, scene-setting vinyls and other decorations taken from Scheffler’s illustrations, alongside more traditionally hung artworks. Quotes from the books will decorate the walls.

First, visitors will be introduced to Axel Scheffler as an artist. This room will showcase some of Axel’s early, pre-Julia Donaldson illustrations, such as works from his first picture book, You’re a Hero, Daley B!, first published in 1989 – and give visitors a peek at some of his drawings from childhood.

As you move through the gallery, characters will entice you through doorways, leading you to discover themes based on various settings found in Scheffler’s illustrations. There are the ocean worlds of Tiddler, the Story Telling Fish and The Snail and the Whale, and the jungle of Monkey Puzzle.

Your imagination will take you soaring up into a blue sky with the Zog stories and Room on the Broom, and come back to land for Superworm, The Smartest Giant in Town, The Highway Rat, Tabby McTat and The Scarecrow’s Wedding. Tucked into a tiny cupboard is a ‘window’ into the house of A Squash and a Squeeze, Axel Scheffler’s very first collaboration with Julia Donaldson.

Finally, a ‘forest’ room is dedicated to The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child and Stick Man, where you might be able to spot a real Stick Man hidden in the fireplace…

A family activity trail, based around Mottisfont’s grounds, will run alongside the exhibition, with a craft activity to take home. Families can spot signs of the Gruffalo and find his den in the cellarium, and there’s even a giant broom with room for photo opportunities!

The Gruffalo and Friends: the Art of Axel Scheffler exhibition and family trail runs until September 3.

Visit nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont or call 01794 340757.