The Gruffalo has a very special place in my heart and I was completely ready to find out if Gruffalo Granny would find a place too!
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Long before I was reading Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler books with my own daughter, I used The Gruffalo extensively with a class of four- and five-year-olds while I was a PGCE student and subsequently with other reception classes I taught over the years.
We completely immersed ourselves in the story. There were actions, puppets, role play and endless retellings until pretty much every child in the room – and me – could recite the whole thing.
So, when I heard that Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler were returning to the deep dark wood for Gruffalo Granny, I was always going to be excited to read it.
We had the book on pre-order and it arrived at the perfect time, as we were also able to watch a special British Library event with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (available until October half term).
Now we’ve read it several times, I have thoughts. Quite a few thoughts, actually. Some of them may be the thoughts of a forty-something who has spent far too many years analysing picture books!
Gruffalo Granny at a Glance
| Title | Gruffalo Granny |
| Author | Julia Donaldson |
| Illustrator | Axel Scheffler |
| Publisher | Macmillan Children’s Books |
| UK publication date | 10 September 2026 |
| Physical Format | Hardback picture book |
| Audio Format | Audible Yoto Card |
| Yoto release | 11 September 2026 |
| ISBN | 9781035065516 |
| Suggested age | 2+ |
| Best for | Gruffalo fans, particularly younger children who enjoy rhyme, repetition and familiar characters |
| Look out for | Clues to other Donaldson and Scheffler stories including Room on the Broom, Monkey Puzzle and The Snail and the Whale |
You can find the book on the official Gruffalo Granny page or Gruffalo Granny on Amazon.
Returning to the Deep Dark Wood
One of the things that immediately struck me about Gruffalo Granny is just how cohesive it feels with the previous two Gruffalo books.
The woodland setting could easily be mistaken for a spread from The Gruffalo, while the scenes inside the cave have the wonderfully familiar feel of The Gruffalo’s Child. Axel Scheffler has made this instantly recognisable as the same world.
Then, of course, there’s Granny herself. Her grey fur and red prickles make her distinctive while still giving her that unmistakable Gruffalo family resemblance. We also discover that she’s very bright, can read and write and has an enormous appetite. She’s a character with lots of potential. Which brings me to my main problem…
I Wanted More Gruffalo Granny!
A little spoiler warning here if you’d rather know nothing about how much Granny features before reading the book.
There are 16 double-page spreads in Gruffalo Granny. By my count, Granny herself appears in just four of them. That’s only a quarter of the book. We’re very briefly introduced to her at the beginning (just in description), but for much of the story I found myself waiting for Granny to arrive properly.
Then I reached the end. Although Granny had appeared, I felt like I was still waiting! For me, Gruffalo Granny feels almost like an introduction to Gruffalo Granny, rather than the full Gruffalo Granny adventure.
By the final pages, I felt as though we’d finally got everything into place and I was ready for her story to begin. It turns out what I really wanted may have been a Gruffalo Granny chapter book. Perhaps that’s where I’m going wrong!
My 10-Year-Old Had a Very Different Reaction
This is where things became particularly interesting. My daughter is 10 now and has grown up surrounded by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler books. She absolutely loved the fact that Gruffalo Granny contains so many links to other stories she already knows.
Several Donaldson and Scheffler books are described or hinted at without their titles actually being mentioned. If you know their books well, you might recognise clues to Room on the Broom, Monkey Puzzle and The Snail and the Whale. My daughter loved spotting them.
I think there was even a little bit of nostalgia involved. These are stories she adored when she was tiny, and suddenly little echoes of them were appearing inside a brand-new book. It also gives you a lovely little activity to do as you read. Rather than immediately telling children which stories are being referenced, pause and see whether they can work out which book the clues belong to. Interestingly, the very thing my daughter particularly enjoyed is something that some adult readers have been less keen on.
Is Familiarity a Strength or a Weakness?
I’ve seen some really interesting discussions about Gruffalo Granny since its release. Some readers have loved all the connections to previous stories. Others have felt the book relies a little too heavily on familiar ideas and wished it had taken us somewhere completely new. There also seems to be a shared feeling amongst some adult readers that there simply isn’t enough Granny.
I’m firmly in the more Granny please camp. However, I think the age of the person reading really matters here. Adults who have known The Gruffalo for decades are approaching this book carrying years of memories and expectations.
My 10-year-old approached it with nostalgia for books she loved when she was very little.
A three or four year-old may simply be delighted that there’s another Gruffalo story. Those are three very different reading experiences.
Why The Gruffalo Works So Well With Young Children
Going back to the original Gruffalo reminded me why I found it such an incredible book to use with young children in the first place. Mouse is a particularly interesting character. Really, he’s telling quite a few fibs! But he’s also a tiny mouse walking through a wood populated by creatures who would quite like to eat him.
- Is it OK to lie if you’re doing it to keep yourself safe?
- Is Mouse a good character or a bad character?
- Is he brave, clever, sneaky – or a little bit of all three?
They’re surprisingly interesting questions to explore from what initially appears to be a very simple picture-book story.
Then there’s the Gruffalo himself. His distinctive physical characteristics make him brilliant for exploring descriptive language, character and art.
Most importantly, though, there’s that incredible rhythm. The rhyme and repetition make the book wonderful to read aloud. Children quickly begin joining in, remembering phrases and anticipating what comes next.
We’ve always enjoyed using Gruffalo puppets too. Both with my classes and later with my daughter, it’s been a story that naturally lends itself to retelling, sequencing, acting and turning into a simple play.
The Gruffalo’s Child then managed to give the same familiar world a slightly different feel, with its wonderfully wintry atmosphere while retaining enough of the characters and patterns children already loved. And I think that’s important when considering Gruffalo Granny.
Don’t Let the Overthinking Forty-Somethings Put You Off!
For younger children, many of the things an adult might pick apart about Gruffalo Granny are probably exactly the things that make it work. There’s the beautiful bouncing rhyme. There’s a predictable pattern that children can begin to anticipate. Familiar characters. There are Axel Scheffler’s instantly recognisable illustrations. And we’re back in the deep dark wood.
For children around three to five in particular, I think there’s every chance they’ll fall hard for this Gruffalo story just as children have with the previous two. Sometimes familiarity isn’t a weakness at all. Often it’s precisely what a young child wants when returning to a favourite story world.
So don’t let us overthinking forty-somethings put you off while we’re sitting here demanding an in-depth Gruffalo Granny origin story!
Gruffalo Granny on Yoto
Something else that made the Gruffalo Granny launch particularly interesting for me was how quickly it arrived on Yoto.
The book was officially released on 10 September 2026 and the Gruffalo Granny Yoto Card followed on 11 September. Just one day later! That really caught my attention.
I’ve become quite accustomed to newer books taking a while to make their way onto Yoto, so seeing such a major new children’s title appear virtually alongside the physical book release felt quite significant.
I’m hoping this might be a sign that we’ll see more brand-new children’s titles becoming available on Yoto much closer to their original publication dates in future.
You can find more about the release, alongside the other new cards for the month, in my September 2026 Yoto Card Releases post.
What’s on the Gruffalo Granny Yoto Card?
The Gruffalo Granny Yoto Card gives you more than just one straightforward recording of the story.
| Track | Length |
|---|---|
| Gruffalo Granny | 8:13 |
| Gruffalo Granny – Read-Along Version | 8:11 |
| Gruffalo Granny – Play-Along Version | 5:16 |
| Credits | 1:29 |
The Read-Along Version makes the physical book and Yoto Card a particularly nice pairing. I also really like the idea of the Play-Along Version.
A reader in the Busy Busy Learning community particularly recommended the third track for its listening and drama activities, which immediately appealed to me given how well Gruffalo stories lend themselves to performance and imaginative play.
That means the Yoto Card offers something a little different rather than simply giving you another way to hear exactly the same audiobook.
You can find the Gruffalo Granny Yoto Card here.
Watch Julia Donaldson Read Gruffalo Granny
Our pre-order arrived with perfect timing because we were also able to watch the special British Library Gruffalo Granny event. Julia Donaldson reads Gruffalo Granny during the event and Axel Scheffler draws Gruffalo Granny. It’s a lovely accompaniment to the book, particularly for children who enjoy seeing authors and illustrators at work. At the time of writing, the event is available to watch until October half-term 2026.
Watch Gruffalo Granny with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Free Gruffalo Granny Activities
There are also some lovely free Gruffalo Granny activities available to accompany the new book. You can download the official free activity pack here:
Download the Free Gruffalo Activity Pack
I’ve also gathered links to more Gruffalo activities and resources in my September Yoto releases post.
If you’re using Gruffalo Granny as the basis of a home education, nursery or classroom theme, there’s lots of scope for taking it beyond the book too. Storytelling, puppets, drama, character description and trying to identify the other Donaldson and Scheffler books hidden within the story would all work beautifully alongside it.
Other Ways to Read and Listen to Gruffalo Granny
The book is currently available in hardback, including from Amazon. I’ve already seen people saying they’re waiting for a paperback because every other Julia Donaldson book on their shelf is paperback. I completely understand the need for them all to match!
It’s also worth checking your local library. The audiobook has started appearing through BorrowBox, although availability seems to vary between individual library services. One reader in the Busy Busy Learning community had already been able to borrow it through their UK library service while it wasn’t yet available through ours, so it’s definitely worth searching your own BorrowBox catalogue.
Between the library, BorrowBox, the British Library event and Yoto, there are also several ways to discover the story if you’re not ready to add the hardback to your shelves yet.
Should I Buy Gruffalo Granny?
If you have a young child who already loves The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child, I think Gruffalo Granny will feel very naturally at home alongside them.
For younger children in particular, it has so many of the ingredients that make the original stories work: bouncing rhyme, repetition, a predictable pattern, familiar woodland characters and those wonderfully recognisable Axel Scheffler illustrations.
If you’re buying it as a long-standing adult Gruffalo fan, I would adjust your expectations slightly. Despite the title, Granny herself has a relatively small part in the book. If you’re hoping for a completely new adventure centred around her, you may reach the final page wanting considerably more Granny. I certainly did!
That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t buy it, though. For us, the familiarity was actually a big part of the enjoyment. My 10-year-old loved spotting references to Donaldson and Scheffler stories she remembered from when she was younger, while I loved seeing how seamlessly this new book sits visually alongside The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child.
If you’re unsure about buying the hardback, there are also plenty of ways to try the story first. Check your local library or BorrowBox, watch the British Library event while it’s available, or consider the Yoto Card if that’s already how your family enjoys audiobooks.
For younger Gruffalo fans, I think this has all the ingredients to become another much-loved read-aloud. For older fans? You may just find yourself joining me in wishing this was the beginning of a much bigger Gruffalo Granny adventure.
So, What Did We Think of Gruffalo Granny?
We enjoyed Gruffalo Granny. Is it quite the Gruffalo Granny story I imagined when I first heard the title? No. I wanted considerably more Granny.
She sounds brilliant. Grey fur, red prickles, bright, able to read and write and with an enormous appetite. I want to know more about her! But I also think my reaction says quite a lot about the unusual position this book finds itself in. Gruffalo Granny isn’t only being read by the young children it was created for. It’s being read by children like my daughter who have grown beyond the original target age but remember these stories with huge affection.
And it’s being read by parents, grandparents and teachers who have had The Gruffalo in their lives for decades. We’re all bringing something different with us when we return to the deep dark wood. My daughter loved spotting familiar stories and characters. I loved returning to a world that has been part of both my teaching life and our family reading life. And I think younger children will love the rhyme, repetition, humour, familiar characters and wonderful Axel Scheffler illustrations without worrying nearly as much as I did about Granny’s percentage of page time!
So yes, I’m very pleased to have returned to the deep dark wood. I just hope Granny comes to stay again. Because now we’ve met her, I’m ready for Gruffalo Granny’s story to really begin.
Where to Buy Gruffalo Granny
Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson and Axel scheffler is available in hardback and audio. You can find it through major booksellers and independent bookshops.
Buy Gruffalo Granny: