‘The Gruffalo’ to return in third book.

‘The Gruffalo’ is to return in a third children’s storybook, writer Julia Donaldson confirmed tonight.

The new book will be published in 2026 and follow’s ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’.

“It’s always a challenge to write a sequel,” Donaldson said in a statement. “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 NLT (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 really hope that children – and adults too – will enjoy the new story, as I know what a wonderful experience shared reading can be,” she added.

The author also confirmed illustrator Axel Scheffler will work on the book.

Publisher Macmillan Children’s Books say the new story will be “a fresh and exciting adventure that has all the hallmarks of a Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler classic”.

The first two books have sold 18 million copies, and have been animated for the BBC.