Axel Scheffler, the illustrator behind the international children’s bestseller The Gruffalo, has launched a book to help primary school pupils learn German.

Wuschel auf der Erde: A New Adventure in Learning German tells the story of a friendly alien called Wuschel arriving on Earth from a distant planet with a mission to learn German. Through Scheffler’s distinctive illustrations, children are introduced to their first German words, such as die Maus (mouse) and der Spielplatz (playground), in a fun and interactive way.

Commissioned by the Goethe-Institut, 2,000 books have already been sent to schools in England. The German cultural institute has developed lesson plans and audio teaching aids to be used alongside the book and will offer language courses for children incorporating Wuschel.

Speaking at the book’s launch at Ada Lovelace school in Ealing, London, Scheffler said: “I hope that the story of Wuschel, an alien who has come all the way from a different planet to learn German, will encourage more children to learn my first language.

“All the books I’ve done with Julia Donaldson wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t moved to another country and learned another language.”

Wuschel auf der Erde is part of a wider programme to promote the German language. Miguel Berger, the UK’s German ambassador, said the book marked another step in the journey of making the case for German.

“Wuschel auf der Erde is not just a project that embodies our shared vision for enriching language education and fostering cultural ties between Germany and the UK. It is also a wonderful example of how language learning can be an engaging, interactive experience.”

According to the latest Language Trends report, while 64% of primary schools teach French, just 3% provide German. At secondary level, fewer than 40% of schools offer German up to GCSE level, compared with about 90% teaching French and just under 80% Spanish.

Coupled with cuts to German degrees and fewer German teachers, this “poses a risk to the people and connections that have long been the foundation of strong UK-German relations”, Berger said.

He said the book, alongside the German promotion programme, part of the Department for Education’s wider £15m language hub programme, and the embassy’s “making the case for German” initiative, would help “show that there is real momentum behind efforts to revitalise German learning”.

The schools minister, Catherine McKinnell, said the language hubs programme had already improved language learning in more than 100 schools. “[Wuschel has] definitely reignited my love for learning German,” she said. “One of the great things about studying a language at school is that you can use these skills in the real world.”

McKinnell, who studied Spanish at university, lived in Italy and studied French to A-level and Latin to GCSE, also learned German, although she gave up at 14. “So I do speak from experience when I say that learning another language will broaden your horizons and help to build your confidence and build your speaking skills as well, and it really helps you to understand another culture.

“When you learn a language, you really learn about the richness of that culture and where that language has come from, and it really does provide you a whole new way of seeing the world.”