Julia Donaldson reveals new character for third Gruffalo

The next Gruffalo book will introduce a new member to the monster's family, best selling children's author Julia Donaldson has revealed.

Gruffalo Granny will be published on 10 September 2026. This third instalment comes more than 20 years after Donaldson's last foray into the deep dark wood, the 2004 The Gruffalo's Child, which was a sequel to the 1999 best-selling original.

The news that she would be revisiting the character with knobbly knees, turned out toes and a poisonous wart on the end of his nose was first announced in April 2025. Now some details about the book have been released.

It will feature a visit from new character the Gruffalo Granny, with an excerpt reading: "The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." The story, which will again feature illustrations by Donaldson's frequent collaborator Axel Scheffler, will also see the return of the characters from the previous two books, including Fox, Snake, Owl and Mouse. 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 20 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 National Literacy Trust, 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 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." The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child have sold more than 18 million copies combined and the books have been translated into 115 languages and dialects. Fans got the chance to see the illustration of Gruffalo Granny when Scheffler's illustration was projected in central London and Glasgow on Friday evening..