Julia Donaldson announces new book called Gruffalo Granny
It's the third in the series
Last updated 6th Feb 2026
Almost three decades after the release of the iconic children's book The Gruffalo, author Julia Donaldson has announced a new addition to the series, entitled Gruffalo Granny!
Due out in September 2026, the new book follows the 1999 original and 2004 sequel The Gruffalo's Child — and news of its announcement has thrilled fans who have loved the series for generations.
Readers took to the comments to share their excitement, writing: 'What a treat this will be! So excited 😍' and joking: 'Another one we’ll be able to recite from memory!'
Together with illustrator Axel Scheffler, Julia has been working on the new story for some time, even teasing the book to fans back in September 2025 on This Morning. Julia now says they "can't wait" for Gruffalo Granny to "join their family."
In an announcement made with a video on The Gruffalo's social media channels on Friday 6th February, Julia said: "I hope you're all going to enjoy reading our story."
It was followed up with a post by Macmillan Children's Books, where we had a little sneak preview of what's to come. They wrote:
'The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, “Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay.”
When will it be released?
Gruffalo Granny will be released on 10th September – and is available to pre-order now.
When was The Gruffalo released?
The first picture book, which became a BBC animation, was released 27 years ago in 1999! It has won numerous awards over the years and came first in a list of children's favourite books, by British charity Booktime in 2010.
TV adaptions
An animated adaption of The Gruffalo aired on BBC One on Christmas Day 2009 — and pulled in a whopping almost 10 million viewers. Famous names like Robbie Coltrane, Rob Brydon, James Corden and Helena Bonham Carter were called in to voice the parts of The Gruffalo, Snake, Mouse and Mother Squirrel (narrator) respectively.
It was then followed up with an animated adaption of the sequel, The Gruffalo's Child — which aired on Christmas Day two years later in 2011.
The title character was voiced by Shirley Henderson, best known for playing Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter, as well as appearing in the Bridget Jones movies.
While we're feeling nostalgic, check out these foods that bring back memories from school:
Cornflake cake
A staple of the school kitchen! If you fancy making your own cornflake cake, just like this yummy one in the photo, check out this amazing recipe from The Spelt Kitchen.
Turkey Twizzlers
Turkey Twizzlers were basically on the menu every day until 2005, when they were banned from schools following a healthy eating campaign by top chef Jamie Oliver.
The tasty treats recently made a comeback though, albeit with a lot less fat, additives and flavourings!
Angel Delight
It really was the simple things in life that got us through Maths with our least favourite teacher...
Turkey dinosaurs
Always a favourite when they landed on the school menu, turkey dinosaurs were basically in the same God Tier as turkey twizzlers.
Baked Beans
Beans and chips, beans and nuggets, beans and fish fingers, anything with beans was a winning school meal in our eyes!
Lumpy mash
It was served with basically every meal, but nobody was complaining after it had been drowned in gravy.
Rice pudding
A classic still to this day.
Cartons of Milk
Whether you had cartons or glass bottles, there was nothing better than a slug of milk during break time!
Sprinkle cake
It was hard around the edges and dry in the middle, but there was something about sprinkle cake at school, lathered in custard of course.
Smiley potato faces
They cheered up our plates and will always have a place in our culinary hearts.
Jelly
All together now: "Jelly on a plate, jelly on a plate, wibble wobble, wibble wobble, jelly on a plate"
Syrup sponge
Syrup sponge and custard, was there even a nicer dessert?
Pizza slices
You couldn't beat a pizza slice on your lunch break... Even if it only had 2 slices of pepperoni on!
Caramel Shortcake
These treats weren't on offer often, but when they did come it was always a race to get one before they'd gone!
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