New Gruffalo Book “Gruffalo Granny” Set for September
Gruffalo Granny Julia Donaldson Axel Scheffler release date 2026
The deep dark wood is set to welcome a new resident as author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler officially announced the third installment in their iconic series, titled Gruffalo Granny. Revealed on Friday, February 6, 2026, the new picture book is scheduled for publication by Macmillan Children’s Books on September 10, 2026. This landmark release marks the first new story featuring the beloved monster in over two decades, following the 1999 original The Gruffalo and its 2004 sequel The Gruffalo’s Child. The announcement, made live on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, confirmed that the story will once again be told in Donaldson’s signature rhyming couplets and will reunite fans with classic characters including the Mouse, Fox, Owl, and Snake.
The narrative hook of the new adventure was teased with an opening excerpt: “The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay.” Donaldson shared that while she had possessed the “basic idea” for a grandmother-themed sequel for nearly 20 years, she only felt inspired to finalize the text after seeing the National Literacy Trust use her previous works for their “Early Words Matter” campaign. The author, who is now a grandmother herself, noted that the project was motivated by a desire to combat declining childhood literacy rates. “It’s always a challenge to write a sequel,” Donaldson admitted, “but it was only when I saw the impact of the first two books on new readers that I was spurred on to get my idea out of the cupboard.”
Illustrator Axel Scheffler, who has long denied the possibility of a third book, admitted he could not turn down Donaldson’s “wonderfully clever” new text. To celebrate the announcement, never-before-seen illustrations of the Gruffalo Granny are being projected onto buildings in central London and Glasgow on Friday evening. Scheffler remarked that despite the 22-year gap since The Gruffalo’s Child, he found himself “not completely out of practice” after drawing the characters for various charitable causes over the years. The new book will also play a central role in an international storytelling campaign throughout the 2026 National Year of Reading, with a portion of the proceeds supporting literacy initiatives for vulnerable families.
The Gruffalo franchise remains a titan of children’s literature, with the first two books having sold more than 18.2 million copies in 115 different languages and dialects. Beyond the 40-page hardback release, Macmillan has confirmed that an audiobook and various digital editions will be available simultaneously in September. For a series that has already been adapted into Oscar-nominated animations and hit stage plays, the arrival of Gruffalo Granny is being treated by retailers as the major publishing event of the year. As Alison Ruane, managing director at Macmillan Children’s Books, stated: “The sheer amount of global excitement following the announcement has been evidence of the impact this monster has on families everywhere. Get ready for this September—Granny is coming to stay.”
