Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's new Gruffalo book leads U.K. sales across every genre, as the author says critics still misjudge children's literature.
Julia Donaldson has sold more than 75 million books worldwide and more books in the United Kingdom this century than any other author. Her latest title with illustrator Axel Scheffler, “Gruffalo Granny,” came out last month and is the U.K.’s best-selling book of the year across all genres.
The pair first created “The Gruffalo” in 1999. What began as a children’s story became a modern classic, reached film, and spread across the world. CBS News spoke with both creators about the monster’s long life, their new book, and why reading still matters for kids.
Parents and grandparents already bought the proof. A creature invented more than two decades ago is moving units again, while serious critics, Donaldson argues, still look the other way.
Donaldson did not start out as a famous children’s author. She wrote songs for television. Literary success arrived in her late 40s, after she was already a mom of three.
A publisher contacted her about one of those songs, “A Squash and a Squeeze.” It became a book. That shift changed her path.
She described the moment plainly:
"I very much thought of myself as a songwriter, and it was only when ‘A Squash and a Squeeze’ was made into a book, then I thought, yeah, of course, you know, I could do this," "That was the beginning of it all."
The work still feels physical to her. When she holds a pencil, she said, the words move.
"When I’ve got a pencil in my hand, it’s like an electric current," "My brain can send the words down my arm onto the page."
Fame followed. She said it has not remade her daily life, except for one honor.
"I wouldn’t say it’s really changed my life, except, you know, recently I was made a dame!"
Axel Scheffler drew the Gruffalo. He did not forecast a global brand.
"I had no idea at all. I thought it would sell a few thousand copies and be forgotten. I was completely wrong."
Wrong by a wide margin. The character now has what he calls universal appeal, “really all over the world.” He also joked about the creature’s grip on his career: “There’s no escape.”
Neither partner frames the run as a get-rich plan. Scheffler said the money and notice were never the point of children’s books.
"I don’t think anybody goes into children’s books to become rich or famous," "That was just a side effect. So, we just carry on with doing the next book."
That next book is “Gruffalo Granny,” issued in hardcover and audio by Dial Books. Purchase links pointed readers to major sellers. In the United States, Donaldson’s standout title remains “Room on the Broom.”
Ideas did not arrive only at a desk. Donaldson kept notebooks from walks with her late husband, Malcolm, her creative confidant. “Gruffalo Granny” is dedicated to him.
One entry shows how raw notes became a finished story. She read from the page:
"It says, ‘Ideas from walk with Malcolm: Aliens... blue and red... Romeo and Juliet.’ That did become ‘The Smeds and the Smoos,’"
Ordinary family time, walking, talking, jotting, fed books that millions of children now know. The pipeline was craft and partnership, not a marketing committee.
Asked about other pairings after so many years with Scheffler, Donaldson left the door open. “Maybe we just find other wonderful partnerships, so you never know.”
Donaldson does not treat children’s reading as a niche hobby. She calls it one of life’s great pleasures and a route to empathy and imagination.
"I just think it’s one of life’s great pleasures," "It helps you become more empathetic. It fires your imagination. So, I just want all children to have that opportunity."
She also pushed back on the thin critical attention children’s books receive. The audience, she noted, is larger than gatekeepers admit, parents, grandparents, and teachers.
"It’s definitely an awful lot more than you’d think," "You don’t very often get a deep, proper critical review of a children’s book. I think it’s a big misjudgment of what people are interested in, because a big percentage of adults are parents, another percentage are grandparents, another percent are teachers. So, yeah, big mistake!"
The sales board backs her. “Gruffalo Granny” is not winning a quiet corner of the kids’ section. It is the U.K.’s best-selling book of the year, full stop, every genre included.
Story credits thanked The Alligator’s Mouth Bookshop in London. The piece was produced by Mikaela Bufano and edited by Lauren Barnello.
Families keep voting with their wallets for rhyme, pictures, and a monster who was never supposed to last. The critics can catch up whenever they like.
