The Gruffalo turns 25, the children’s book that was an unprecedented publishing case

The Gruffalo one, created by Julia Donaldson, Londoner, who in 2016 was the best-selling English author in the world, even surpassing JK Rowling, And Axel Scheffler, illustrator German, and first published by Macmillan Children’s Books on 23 March 1999, is a case of almost unprecedented publishing success, received with great and growing enthusiasm. In 2009 the book was listed by teachers as one of the five most useful titles for motivating and enhancing reading and in the summer of 2023 a survey found that The Gruffalo And the first book read by parents to one in eight children in the UK. Book sales The Gruffalo And The Gruffalo’s Child (2004) have exceeded 18 million copies worldwide (of which 750 thousand in Italy) and has also been translated in 107 languages.

In December, the BAFTA nominated animated film on BBC One, in front of an audience of 10 million people, distributed in over 180 countries and won a multitude of awards, including the 50th anniversary Prix Jeunesse award for the best children’s TV drama program of the last 50 years .

The success of the Gruffalo

What is it about the Gruffalo that has made it present in the readings of many boys and girls, but also adults, for 25 years? He is a monster who is always hungry and is not evil, he just wants to eat, in the Gruffalo there is always a balance between fear and attraction, he is an ambivalent creature, on the one hand children can be attracted to him but also scared. Julia Donaldson confesses that she would never have imagined such longevity.

Initiatives to celebrate the Gruffalo

There are many initiatives to celebrate this anniversary: ​​the celebratory publication with a new gold foil anniversary edition of The Gruffalo paperback; This new paperback design will contain previously unreleased content, including a very special downloadable recording of the Gruffalo song, sung by Julia Donaldson herself.

All celebratory publications will have the new 25th anniversary logo.

The Gruffalo Facebook page will continue to develop engagement with fans throughout the year, and further activity is planned later in 2024, when the 20th anniversary of The Gruffalo’s Child will be celebrated this autumn.

The Corriere della Sera And La Gazzetta dello sport starting from May, they will be offering a series of large-format books on the adventures of the Gruffalo on newsstands. In addition to the adventures of the Gruffalo there will be The Witch Scarlett, Gli Smei e gli Smufi, Superworm, Stick and many other bestselling stories.