Release and record-breaking sales of Gruffalo Granny

Macmillan Children’s Books released ‘Gruffalo Granny’, the third installment in the Gruffalo series by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The story, which arrives more than 20 years after the original 1999 release, follows the Gruffalo and his daughter through the deep dark wood.

Following its debut, the book has seen significant sales success in the UK. Retailers such as Waterstones and The Works reported high demand, with Waterstones noting that first-day sales for the title exceeded the entire first week of the authors’ previous book, ‘Jonty Gentoo’. To mark the launch, Waterstones opened a dedicated pop-up space at its Piccadilly flagship store in London, featuring themed activities, workshops, and themed food items at the Embertons Café. The London location also hosted a sold-out book signing event with Donaldson and Scheffler on September 11.

Recent sales data indicates the title has achieved record-breaking commercial success, selling 227,169 copies in the United Kingdom within its first three days. This performance makes it the “fastest-selling picture book in Pan Macmillan's publishing history” and marks the creators' first joint number one in the British overall charts. The release is also expanding into international markets, including a German release via Beltz & Gelberg.

Donaldson noted that the decision to write a sequel was inspired by the work of the National Literacy Trust, which utilized the original books in its ‘Early Words Matter’ program. The new story introduces a grandmother character to the existing cast. The original series has achieved significant global success, with the first two titles selling over 18 million copies and being translated into more than 100 languages.