New Gruffalo picture book revealed

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler have revealed that a new Gruffalo picture book, Gruffalo Granny, will be published on 10 September '26.

After months of speculation following the announcement of a new Gruffalo book in April 2025, the title has been revealed as Gruffalo Granny. It has been more than 20 years since the last Gruffalo picture book, The Gruffalo's Child, was published.

Gruffalo Granny will see the introduction of a new character, Granny, who will join the Gruffalo family, but you can also expect to see much-loved characters return from both The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child including Fox, Snake, Owl and of course, the courageous mouse.

The Gruffalo was first published in 1999 and The Gruffalo's Child in 2004 and combined sales of the two books have exceeded 18 million around the world. There has been much speculation over the years about whether Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler would return to the deep dark wood a third time and the new book was announced by publisher Macmillan Children's Books in April 2025.

Julia Donaldson said that writing a sequel has been challenging since she first had the idea for the story 'a long time ago'. "Five years elapsed between publication of The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, and now it will be more than 20 between The Gruffalo's Child and the third book," she said, adding, "I actually had the basic idea for the story a long time ago, but couldn't think how to develop it." When the National Literacy Trust used the first two books as part of their Early Words Matter programme, she said she was "spurred on to get my idea out of the cupboard and see once and for all if I could turn it into a really satisfying story. To my surprise, I managed to do just that!"

Axel Scheffler, the illustrator of the original Gruffalo story, has illustrated Gruffalo's Granny as well. Donaldson added, "I was of course delighted when Axel came on board, and am even more so now that I've seen the brilliant illustrations he's done for the new book. I really hope that children - and adults too - will enjoy the new story, as I know what a wonderful experience shared reading can be."

Scheffler, who had previously ruled out the possibility of "another visit to the deep dark wood", said, "One day out of the blue there came a wonderfully clever and inspired new text by Julia. How does she do this? Could I decline? Of course not!" With a wry reflection on having had to draw "the odd Gruffalo and his daughter" over the last 20 years, he added, "I'm not completely out of practice. I'm also very happy that the Gruffalos will get involved in some charitable activities to reach even more young readers with support from the National Literacy Trust."

In addition to the title reveal, Macmillan Children's Books will treat members of the public to an exclusive first look at Granny, when they project Axel Scheffler's never-seen-before illustration in two central locations in London and Glasgow this evening (Friday 6th February). Alison Ruane, M.D. at Macmillan Children's Books said "the sheer amount of global excitement following the announcement of the new book" is evidence of the impact that Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler, and The Gruffalo have had on families around the world.

"We can't wait for children and families to experience this new story together, especially in the National Year of Reading. Get ready for this September, Granny is coming to stay."