Glasgow lit up by artwork from Julia Donaldson’s new Gruffalo book

The author wrote the best-selling original while living in Glasgow twenty-five years ago.

Sharing images of the projections on Facebook on Saturday, Glasgow Life Libraries said:

The Herald Magazine’s Gruffalo cover in December 2024. (Image: Newsquest)

“Gruffalo Granny, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, will be published by Macmillan Children’s Books on 10th September 2026. Julia Donaldson wrote The Gruffalo whilst living in Glasgow in 1999.

“The drawings were displayed on the front of the Mitchell Library to the delight of onlookers following a special Gruffalo-themed storytelling and crafts session celebrating National Storytelling Week.”

Speaking about the return of the beloved children’s character, Donaldson told the Press Association:

“I did think about a Gruffalo Granny a long time ago, in fact I often said to people if I ever did a book it would be about a Gruffalo Granny because it sounds good, Gr Gr, but then I was just so busy doing other things.

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“But like any seed you never know when it’s going to germinate, this one just took a very long time.”

She added: “I really enjoy being a granny myself, I’ve got nine grandchildren and I’ve got very good memories of my own granny, who read me stories.

“She lived upstairs in our house and she read me Edward Lear and Alice In Wonderland and things like that so I’m a big fan of grandmotherhood.”