After more than 20 years roaming the deep dark wood, the Gruffalo is coming back in a new book, which author Julia Donaldson says she was spurred to write by a campaign to reverse a decline in children’s reading.
The book will be published in 2026, and will be the third about the beloved animal – after 1999’s best-selling original and 2004’s sequel The Gruffalo’s Child.
Donaldson said she had the idea “a long time ago”, but was inspired to finally put pen to paper after the National Literacy Trust (NLT) started using the previous two books in its Early Words Matter scheme.
According to the NLT, just 35% of children aged between eight and 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time…