All together now!

This week we’re bringing you a very special magazine for all fans of The Gruffalo and parents of Gruffalo fans.

The cover has been exclusively illustrated by Axel Scheffler, bringing together his most iconic characters to celebrate key workers and support The Big Issue.

We’ve got a bundle of books from Scheffler and Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson to give away too – get more details in the magazine!

Before she was the Gruffalo queen, Donaldson understudied a fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream starring Judi Dench at the Old Vic. But the success of her books has allowed performance back into her life and she’s toured the world with her shows. Read her Letter to My Younger Self to find out if Mick Jagger really did lend her an LP once, a long time ago.

Also inside:

• Another legend of children’s literature, Michael Morpurgo, takes us through his day under lockdown. It’s a quiet life but a time he’ll remember forever.
• Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow has seen viewer numbers more than double during lockdown. He says the crisis has brought people back to trusted news sources in their droves. But what about after the virus?
• Other stars of children’s literature chip in – Tom Gates creator Liz Pichon with some tips for fighting lockdown boredom, and author and illustrator Sarah McIntyre on how a rubbish idea is the starting point for any masterpiece.
• Great British Sewing Bee host Joe Lycett could be sewing up some snazzy outfit but instead he’s using this time to make his own pasta

You’ll find this and much more inside this week’s Big Issue!

You can buy one-off issues or subscriptions from The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play.

You can keep us going by subscribing to the magazine to receive it every week directly to your door or device. Head to bigissue.com/subscribe for more details.

You can also get a copy in stores for the first time. Head to Sainsbury’s, McColl’s, Co-op, Asda or WH Smith to grab the latest issue.