By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler are collaborating on first new Gruffalo picture book in over 20 years, to be published by Macmillan Children’s Books.
This marks the first new Gruffalo story since the publication of the award-winning modern classics The Gruffalo (1999) and The Gruffalo’s Child (2004) by Macmillan Children’s Books.
The two stories have become a “bestselling phenomenon” across the world, the publisher said. Donaldson has lifetime sales of 49,456,700 up to the 19th April 2025, according to NielsenIQ Bookscan, and The Gruffalo has sold 3.2 million copies and The Gruffalo’s Child 2.1 million copies.
The publisher added, “Macmillan Children’s Books is thrilled to be publishing this extraordinary new story, which sees the return of much-loved characters in a fresh and exciting adventure that has all the hallmarks of a Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler classic. The team at Macmillan plans for this highly anticipated publication to be one of the biggest in its history, supported by a blockbuster marketing and publicity campaign.
“The launch will also harness the popularity of Julia and Axel’s iconic character to drive an international children’s reading and storytelling campaign in partnership with The National Literacy Trust and other charitable organisations across the globe, following an NLT report which revealed that only one in three children enjoy reading in their spare time, the lowest level since 2005. With The Gruffalo translated into an incredible 113 languages and dialects, Macmillan Children’s Books plans to make this new story the international publishing event of the decade.”
Donaldson said “It’s always a challenge to write a sequel. Five years elapsed between publication of The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child, and now it will be more than twenty between The Gruffalo’s Child and the third book. I actually had the basic idea for the story a long time ago, but couldn’t think how to develop it. It was only when the NLT, whose work I’m very impressed by, 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! I was of course delighted when Axel came on board, and am even more so now that I’ve seen the brilliant sketches he’s already 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 said “Never say never – a lesson learnt for me who, whenever asked, denied the possibility of another visit to the deep dark wood. Till 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! As I have had to draw the odd Gruffalo and his daughter over the last 20 years, 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 NLT.”
Alison Ruane, Managing Director, Macmillan Children’s Books said: “Macmillan Children’s Books couldn’t be happier to return to the deep dark wood with a brand new Gruffalo picture book for 2026 – the first in 20 years and a true landmark publishing event. We are so proud to publish Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the UK’s number one author and illustrator, and continue to be inspired by the power of their storytelling in capturing the imaginations of children everywhere. Together with the National Literacy Trust, we will use today’s announcement to seek partners across a diverse range of sectors to join our mission to promote the joy of reading, with the Gruffalo at the heart.”
About The Gruffalo
The Gruffalo is the bestselling and well-loved picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. They are the UK’s #1 author and #1 illustrator respectively (2024). The Gruffalo was first published by Macmillan Children’s Books in March 1999 and went on to be recognised as ‘a modern classic’ (Robert McCrum, Observer) and ‘the Nation’s Favourite Bedtime Story’ (Radio 2). The sequel, The Gruffalo’s Child, followed in 2004. The original picture book stories have now sold 18.2 million copies worldwide and The Gruffalo has been translated into 113 languages and dialects. Across the publishing brand, global sales have now reached 38 million copies. The Gruffalo Live! Theatre adaptation is produced by Tall Stories and began touring in 2001, with The Gruffalo’s Child opening in 2006. The Oscar-nominated animated adaptation The Gruffalo (2009), and BAFTA-nominated The Gruffalo’s Child (2011) are produced by Magic Light Pictures. The Gruffalo can be found in deep dark woods up and down the country, at sites managed by Forestry England, and he features at Merlin attraction locations across the UK.