The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson shows her characters social distancing

The makers of the children's book The Gruffalo have drawn their characters practising social distancing to help children understand the regulations.

Author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler created the panels as a "light-hearted" way of spreading the message.

They feature The Gruffalo, Stickman and The Smeds and The Smoos - all keeping a safe distance from one another.

The characters are also seen helping the vulnerable with their shopping.

The Gruffalo was first published in 1999, and tells the story of a mouse taking a walk in the woods - where he out-smarts a terrifying creature with terrible teeth and a "posionous wart on the end of his nose".

It went on to sell 13 million copies, and had been turned into a stage play and an Oscar-nominated animation.

One of the new sketches shows the Gruffalo walking behind the mouse, accompanied by the couplet:

"Alright said The Gruffalo bursting with laughter / You go ahead, I'll follow two metres after."

"Axel had this idea of doing some witty sketches, each based on one of our books and each kind of incorporating a tip about coronavirus," Donaldson told BBC Breakfast on Friday.

Scheffler started the process by saying to himself, "what can I do as an illustrator?" during these troubled times.

"I'm currently working on a digital, free non-fiction book about coronavirus, which is serious and informative and probably more important than this and is coming out next week," he said.

"[But] I wanted to do something light-hearted and cheer people up and I thought, 'what if I imagine our characters in corona situations?'"

"It's really more about entertainment than serious information," he added.

As well as social distancing, the characters stress the importance of exercise and making video calls to their family members.

Donaldson hopes the images will emphasise best practices and help with home schooling, without being seen as "preaching".

While on lockdown, the author is also producing a weekly broadcast on The Gruffalo Facebook page, reading stories, poems and singing songs.

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