Julia Donaldson Announces Third Gruffalo Book After 20-Year Gap

Julia Donaldson revealed the title and central character of her long-awaited third Gruffalo book on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday. Gruffalo Granny will be published in hardback and audiobook on 10 September 2026, according to BBC News↗ — making it the first new Gruffalo story in more than two decades, following The Gruffalo (1999) and The Gruffalo's Child (2004).

The new book introduces the Gruffalo's grandmother as a fresh character while bringing back familiar faces from the first two books for what publisher Macmillan described as "an exciting new adventure," as reported by BBC News↗. A character image released on the day of the announcement shows Gruffalo Granny carrying a handbag, notebook and pencil.

Donaldson's creative partner, illustrator Axel Scheffler, confirmed he had long ruled out a third book — until now. "I've been saying for more than 20 years there won't be a sequel, and it's taught me to never say never," he told the Today programme, adding: "Julia came up with such a wonderful story and I got very excited about it," per BBC News↗.

On the publishing side, Penguin Random House↗ announced that Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, has acquired US and open-market rights. Jennifer Klonsky, President and Publisher of Dial Books for Young Readers, acquired those rights from Macmillan Children's Books UK. Penguin Young Readers said it plans a "major, multi-faceted marketing and publicity campaign" and described the release as "the children's picture book publishing event of the year," though the company gave no further detail on the scope of that campaign.

Donaldson said the idea had been sitting largely dormant for nearly two decades. "I've had this idea for the best part of two decades, but I've just been so busy writing other things," she told Radio 4, according to BBC News↗. Two things ultimately moved the project forward. First, a personal milestone: "And now of course I'm a granny myself, so maybe that's what spurred me on." Second, an external prompt from a literacy campaign: Donaldson explained in a statement via Penguin Random House↗ that the National Literacy Trust's Early Words Matter programme used the first two books as part of its work on early childhood reading, and that this inspired her to revisit the idea. "It was only when the National Literacy Trust…used the first two books as part of their Early Words Matter programme that I 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!"

The first two books together have sold more than 18.2 million copies across 115 languages and dialects, according to Penguin Random House↗. The gap between instalments has also grown considerably: five years separated The Gruffalo from The Gruffalo's Child, whereas more than twenty years will separate the second book from the third, as Donaldson noted in the same statement.

Gruffalo Granny is scheduled for release in hardback and audiobook on 10 September 2026, per BBC News↗. Donaldson is also set to discuss the book at an upcoming literary festival, according to the Henley Herald↗. For a critical assessment of the original book's place in children's literature, see our review of The Gruffalo.