New Gruffalo book announced for September 2026
Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, announced that Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the internationally bestselling author/illustrator duo, will return to the world of their most successful and beloved character with a brand new as-yet-untitled Gruffalo story in September 2026. U.S. and Open Market rights for the third Gruffalo adventure were acquired by Jennifer Klonsky, President & Publisher, Dial Books for Young Readers from Macmillan’s Children’s Books UK.
First new story in years
This news signals the first new Gruffalo story since the publication of the award-winning modern classics THE GRUFFALO (1999) and THE GRUFFALO’S CHILD (2004). The two stories have become a bestselling phenomenon and have touched the lives of children across the globe, with a total of over 18.2 million copies sold worldwide.
Return of much-loved characters
Penguin Young Readers is thrilled to be publishing this extraordinary new story, which sees the return of much-loved characters in a fresh and exciting adventure that has all the hallmarks of a Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler classic. Penguin will launch the book with a major, multi-faceted marketing and publicity campaign to establish the book as the children’s picture book publishing event of the year. The launch will also harness the popularity of Julia and Axel’s iconic character to drive an international children’s reading and storytelling campaign.