Die Grüffelo-Oma

Gruffalo #3

by Julia Donaldson

Die Grüffelo-Oma kommt zu Besuch - bestimmt ist sie furchtbar hungrig!

Also machen sich der Grüffelo und das Grüffelokind auf die Suche nach Zutaten für ein Festmahl. Wie wär’s mit Fuchsschwanzsuppe? Eulenpizza? Schlangentorte mit Erdbeersoße? Da stoßen sie mitten im tiefen, dunklen Wald auf die kleine Maus: Waldgemüse mit frischer Maus, wär das nicht fein? Die Maus ist zwar klein, aber viel zu schlau, um als Leckerbissen zu enden. Und sie denkt sich – wieder einmal - eine List aus, wie sie die beiden Grüffelos reinlegen kann.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

38 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2026

About the author

Growing up
I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).

Mary and I were always creating imaginary characters and mimicking real ones, and I used to write shows and choreograph ballets for us. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes.

I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.

Busking and books
Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta.

The busking led to a career in singing and songwriting, mainly for children’s television. I became an expert at writing to order on such subjects as guinea pigs, window-cleaning and horrible smells. “We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC.

I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.

One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.

My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.

I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.

Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.

When I’m not writing I am often performing, at book festivals and in theatres. I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs. When Malcolm can take time off from the hospital he and his guitar come too. and it feels as if we’ve come full circle - back to busking.

Reviews

[Jo Lee]

Purchased for my middle child’s 20th birthday (yes 20, it’s not a typo) and we snuggled up and read it to the pets - you don’t get much closer to 5 stars than that!

[Freya]

this is my multiverse

[Alice]

absolute banger

[rubee !]

grannys gone vegetarian

[Philip]

As huge fans of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's (JD/AS) work in our house, we were excited about the third proper Gruffalo book, and pre-ordered it months ago. I reasoned to myself that if Julia Donaldson had had the idea for a long while then this book was going to be another exceptional, timeless venture into the deep dark wood of children's literature.

Some recent books of theirs have elicited feelings of indifference - Johnty Gentoo, The Baddies, The Ugly Five, but the Gruffalo Granny actually made me feel angry in a way no child's book should ever make a person angry. I think this might be my emotional overinvestment speaking, but I really didn't like this on a visceral level.

Here are my issues with the book

- It's called The Gruffalo Granny, but this character barely appears in the book. The beginning talks about all of her characteristics, but does very little with them. Rather than fleshing out or developing the character, the book treads a very familiar path. The Grufallo Granny (or Granny Gruffalo - the book can't seem to decide) could have been a formidable opponent for mouse, instead we just get a character who is hungry and can write.
- This just feels like a shameless plug for other Macmillan published Julia Donaldson books. I had the feeling I'd just purchased an elaborately marketed piece of advertising. It just feels like, flexing your IP, and squeezing as much out of the brand as you can.
- I don't particularly like the fact when you take off the dust jacket you just get a full page picture without the title - it smacks of self-published holiday album as opposed a book by one of the most prolific writing teams.

Our children liked it but soon went off it. I think a large part of the adult audience may be more cynical, viewing this as a cynical attempt at weaponising and milking IP for all its worth.

[Jamie Ho]

I read this in my local Sainsburys, and honestly, I love the build-up of the storyline, hence why I'm only give this at least two stars.

But the Gruffalo Granny barely makes an appearance or real impact to the story. This is false advertisement. The story plot was poorly executed because it's just about making stew, and it's just the mouse wasting the Gruffalo and his daughter's time.

And I would not recommend purchasing this book for your child. Otherwise you are wasting your child's bedtime and have them yawning like the gruffalos by the end of it. Next time, just call this, "the Gruffalo's Mousetrap".

[Mugdha Mahajan]

This is such a cute little book! Perfect for bedtime storytelling, with a clever plot about the Gruffalo family welcoming Granny for a fun adventure.

The illustrations are lovely, and the rhythmic, rhyming tone makes reading out loud so enjoyable. Kids and parents will both absolutely love this charming story!

[Lauren]

Sensational

[Laura]

I’ve read this approximately 67 times in 2 days so that has to count for something

[Jasmine]

Was super looking forward to sitting down and reading this one with my kids!
The nostalgia of revisiting The Gruffalo stories for a NEW STORY was exciting- we are big fans of Julia Donaldson in our house and I’ve always loved the rhyming scheme and how well this translates to reading stories out loud. My youngest (6) did still enjoy this story, but I found the flow wasn’t as good and some of the rhyming words felt more of a stretch. It also felt a bit like a shameless plug for Donaldsons previous books which I felt soured the story somewhat (though I made it fun by seeing if my child could recognise what’s stories it was referring to).

Gruffalo Granny was only in the book for about two pages which was a shame- but we did enjoy the stew twist!

And worst comes to worst, it did get me to explain about Shahrazad and 1001 Nights to my kids 🤷‍♀️ just unfortunate the idea for the book wasn’t a bit more original.

[Paul S]

Will be using this professionally in library storytimes. Rhymes not as strong as the first book, especially with regard to metre. Also lacks the scope to develop a full range of character voices in the same way as was possible with the first book as most of the animal characters are paraphrased rather than quoted directly.

However the story is engaging and progresses well, and ties together eventually with a great ending/moral, especially for those on a vegetarian or vegan diet.

A big improvement on the somewhat limp "Gruffalos Child" but still pales in comparison to the original.

For reference, I find the character voices cast as follows consistently engages children and parents, even with repeat performances to the same audience:

Mouse: Jon Anderson of Yes
Fox: Ian Dury
Owl: Mark E Smith of The Fall
Snake: Hissing Sid
The Gruffalo: Brian Blessed

[Charlie Johnson]

You expect me to believe that his nan is a vegetarian?? Blatantly just not me nan 👵 #lovethemultiverse

[Alicia Welbourne]

Julia Donaldson can’t write a bad book, she’s simply too fantastic. Writing a new Gruffalo book that captures all the magic of the first whilst still feeling new and fresh is just beyond expectation!!

My 3yo LOVES it, he made me read it 3x the day it was delivered and at least once everyday since. He’s at the point where he can almost recite it from memory (as he can with the others!) I love the nod to the other stories and how it all feels connected with the inquisitive Gruffalo Child, the cheeky little brown mouse and a return to the deep dark wood! A must for anyone with a Donaldson collection!

[Jester, King's Favorite Fool]

Granny Gruffalo! This was an unexpected sequel. It's been over two decades since The Gruffalo's Child! When I saw this, I immediately put it on hold at my library!

Gruffalo Granny is coming over, and Gruffalo and Gruffalo Child are looking for someone to cook. They encounter several animals but decide on a little brown mouse. A familiar little brown mouse. The mouse is going to be stew, but he has a trick up his sleeve.

Personal Rating: ⭐4/5

Note: Using new rating system starting 2025.

[Bethany Monk]

My mam just got this on pre order and the childhood nostalgia i bloody loved the gruffalo as a child and yes i know it’s not like any of the books ive read this year but i had to put it down😆😆

[Caitlin Monk]

I bloody love me a Julia Donaldson book!!!

[Em C]

A new Gruffalo story?? Count me in, Julia Donaldson was always a childhood favourite, and this story was so cute! Very nostalgic!

[Mae R]

I so wanted to love this, but it felt almost like a long plug for the author's other titles? Granny also doesn't make an appearance until the very end of the book. The rhyme isn't as smooth as it is in Julia's other stories, and it didn't hold my children's interest. Overall, this is a disappointment.

[Becca's Books]

One of the best children's books I've read in a while. A real joy to read to children!

[Tina Fulcher]

Another great story in the Gruffalo series. I read it to my grandson and he absolutely loved it. I firm favourite I'm sure.

[Jane Waddell]

Perfect in every way… she’s a genius

[Gail Wylde]

Bought this for my grandson in Australia and had to read it a couple of times before it wings its way to him. I loved it, and I know he will too. Highly recommended

[Paula]

10* read

[LudmilaM]

3.75 stars. Slightly underwhelming, but still a fun read.

[Anthony Lloyd]

Bought this today, unfortunately my kids are to grown up to read this to 😂
However my wife and I loved it and onto the shelf it goes with the others ready for the day we have grandchildren

[Joke]

Bij ons thuis liggen de voorleesboeken altijd al op tafel klaar wanneer de kleinkinderen komen. Toch is er één boek waar ze steevast als eerste naar grijpen: het pop-upboek over de Gruffalo. Dit harige monster met zijn paarse stekels heeft inmiddels het hart van mijn kleindochter veroverd. Ze geniet zichtbaar van dit bijzondere beest met zijn grote oranje ogen. Toen ze Gruffaloma zag, kon ze dan ook nauwelijks wachten om het boek te bekijken en zich te laten voorlezen.

In 1999 verscheen The Gruffalo, gevolgd door The Gruffalo’s Child in 2004. In 2026 verscheen eindelijk het langverwachte derde deel: Gruffaloma van Julia Donaldson. Voor alle drie de boeken werkte Donaldson samen met Axel Scheffler, die opnieuw de herkenbare en kleurrijke illustraties voor zijn rekening nam.

Vertrouwde bewoners van het bos
In Gruffaloma moet de kleine muis het opnieuw opnemen tegen een tegenstander die vele malen groter is dan hijzelf. De Gruffalo heeft zijn zinnen op hem gezet, want hij wil samen met zijn kind een feestmaal bereiden voor Gruffaloma. En voor een lekkere stoofpot heb je natuurlijk allerlei groenten en vlees nodig. Daarom gaan de Gruffalo en zijn kind op zoek in het bos.
Maar onze kleine muis laat zich niet zomaar vangen. Met zijn scherpe verstand en slimme praatjes weet hij de Gruffalo opnieuw om de tuin te leiden. Opgegeten worden staat namelijk bepaald niet op zijn verlanglijstje! Tijdens zijn avontuur komen we bovendien een aantal vertrouwde bewoners van het bos tegen. De vos, de uil en de slang zijn opnieuw van de partij en zorgen samen met de vele andere dieren voor een levendig en kleurrijk geheel.

De rol en liefde van een oma
Net als in de eerdere Gruffalo-boeken is de tekst op rijm geschreven. De slimme en soms heerlijk brutale muis staat opnieuw centraal en weet zich met zijn fantasie en gevatte antwoorden uit allerlei benarde situaties te redden. Het ritme en de herhaling maken het verhaal prettig om voor te lezen en nodigen kinderen uit om woordjes en zinnetjes mee te zeggen. Zo wordt voorlezen bijna vanzelf een interactief moment.

Tipje van de sluier
Wat opvalt, is dat Gruffaloma zelf pas relatief laat haar intrede doet. Toch wordt aan het begin al een tipje van de sluier opgelicht: we krijgen informatie over haar uiterlijk en haar bijzondere vaardigheden. Ook wordt al snel duidelijk dat het kind nieuwsgierig naar haar is. Wanneer Gruffaloma uiteindelijk verschijnt, krijgt haar rol daardoor extra betekenis. De liefde en bijzondere band tussen een oma en haar kleinkinderen komen mooi naar voren. Tegelijkertijd blijft het verhaal heerlijk speels en spannend, waardoor kinderen vooral kunnen genieten van de avonturen van de muis en de vele dieren die ze onderweg tegenkomen.

Als leeftijd wordt vier jaar aangegeven, maar ook iets jongere kinderen zullen hier waarschijnlijk veel plezier aan beleven. Er valt op iedere pagina van alles te ontdekken. Samen kunnen kinderen de dieren zoeken, aanwijzen en benoemen, terwijl ze ondertussen luisteren naar het rijmende verhaal. Dat maakt Gruffaloma niet alleen een heerlijk boek om samen uit voor te lezen, maar ook een boek dat uitnodigt om spelenderwijs te kijken, zoeken en ontdekken.

En misschien is dat wel de grootste charme van Gruffaloma: terwijl de muis zich een weg probeert te banen door het bos, ontdekken kleine lezers op hun eigen manier steeds weer iets nieuws.

[Anschen Conradie]

#GruffaloGranny – Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
#PanMacMillan

Intelligence and creative wit are powerful weapons in an arsenal where physical strength and stature are lacking. The Brothers Grimm illustrated this perfectly in the classic The Brave Little Tailor. Seven jam-stealing flies become his claim to fame by the dubious sewing on his belt that claimed: “Seven at one blow”.

In 1999, a tiny little mouse in a deep, dark wood, went a step further; instead of relying on a half-truth, he created a fictional monster to impress and scare fellow creatures, a fox, an owl, and a snake. To his shock and surprise, the fictional creature appeared, and so the Gruffalo stepped into children’s hearts. Julia Donaldson’s repetitive verse and hyperbole, combined with the masterful illustrations of Axel Scheffler, introduced an unlikely hero, a hairy monster with yellow eyes, claws, fangs, and horns; slightly scary, but also cuddly and funny, depicted as a grinning and somewhat naïve, alternative teddy bear figure.

In 2004 the Gruffalo returned to the bookshelves as the single father of a young daughter, referred to as the Gruffalo’s child. As was the case in 1999, the text comprised rhyming couplets and narrated the humorous tale of this child going in search of the Big Bad Mouse. Donaldson revealed that the entertaining interaction between the opposing creatures was inspired by the Chinese folk tale, The Fox that Borrows the Terror of a Tiger.

For two decades the Gruffalo lived happily in the woods, hidden from humans. In the real world, Donaldson became a grandmother. The Gruffalo was inspired to return to the bookshelves with a dramatic introduction to his daughter:” Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay.”

The Gruffalo family endeavours to welcome Granny with a delicious stew boasting the Big Bad Mouse as the main ingredient. The mouse, once again relying on wit, dons his Scheherazade character to survive and, in so doing, provides humorous entertainment, perfect for accompanied reading.

Gruffalo Granny follows the themes and literary patterns of the prequels but is also a fun-filled ode to the invaluable role that grandparents can play in the lives of young children.

#Uitdieperdsebek

[Nicky Rook]

Bij ons op school weten de kinderen het allemaal: Het lievelingsboek van juf Nicky is de Gruffalo. Het maakt niet uit welke van de twee, want ik vind ze allebei ge-wel-dig! Ik was dan ook ontzettend blij om te lezen dat er een derde deel zou uitkomen.

Toen hij afgelopen weekend op de mat viel, moest hij dan ook direct gelezen worden. Ik moet toegeven, ik moest wel even in het verhaal komen. Waar het eerste deel direct lekker zingend leest, moest ik bij dit deel even ontdekken hoe moet ik hem lezen.

In dit deel maken we kennis met de Gruffaloma:

‘𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒅,’ 𝒛𝒆𝒊 𝒅𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒐. ‘𝑫𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒕 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏.
𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒘 𝑮𝒓𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒂 𝒌𝒐𝒎𝒕 𝒐𝒑 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆.’
‘𝑾𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒅, 𝒑𝒂𝒑𝒂, 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒖𝒘.
𝑳𝒊𝒋𝒌𝒕 𝒛𝒆 𝒐𝒑 𝒎𝒊𝒋? 𝑳𝒊𝒋𝒌𝒕 𝒛𝒆 𝒐𝒑 𝒋𝒐𝒖?’

De Gruffaloma houdt heel erg van lekker en veel eten, dus de Gruffalo en het kind gaan een lekkere stoof maken. In het bos komen ze alle dieren, die ook voorkomen in de eerdere delen, tegen. Uiteindelijk moet er muizenstoof gemaakt worden. Maar muis zal muis niet zijn als hij weer gaat proberen om de Gruffalo en het kind te slim af te zijn.

Lukt het uiteindelijk om een lekkere stoof te maken voor de Gruffaloma? Of verzint muis weer vanalles?

Om de verrassende wending uit het boek niet weg te geven, kan ik jullie alleen maar aanraden om het boek zelf te gaan lezen.

Ik, maar ook Liam, Nova en de klas hebben genoten van het verhaal. We waren allemaal verrast naar hoe het verhaal liep. In de klas was er vooral heel veel herkenning toen de muis ging vertellen. '𝑀𝑎𝑎𝑟 𝑗𝑢𝑓, 𝑑𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑢 𝑎𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑡 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑠, 𝑑𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑣𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑜𝑒𝑘 𝑣𝑎𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑧𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑗𝑓𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜𝑐ℎ? 𝐷𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑜𝑒𝑘 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑏𝑖𝑒𝑏'.

Ik vind het ook wel heel krachtig dat er zoveel herkenning in de boeken zit. In alle delen staan dezelfde dieren en de muis centraal.

Leuk dat er ook vanuit de andere boeken van Julia Donaldson & Alex Scheffler dingen zijn verwerkt in dit boek. Stiekem hopen we dat er nog wel een vierde boek komt van de Gruffalo, want ze zijn zo leuk

[Domiron]

First and foremost: we are blessed to have a new Gruffalo book. Glad this was made.
I started this book from the beginning each night, advancing my stopping point by a page turn each time. Lasted a good while this way, a couple of weeks or so? Honestly a pretty cool way to experience such a short story. I feel like I could easily make space in my life for this as a nightly ritual were it not for the fact that the only books in this (not innately childish) format are very much for children.
I’m inclined to consider this a good one though. Gets pretty Barthian imo, sort of like an inverted Scheherazadiad in its plot. I don’t like its frayed ending so much, the mouse carries out once more its best laid scheme, but in this case not only does it not go galley, but it doesn’t even matter because, predictably, Julia Donaldson, who herself, alongside a not insignificant portion of her money-bearing readers, are grandmothers, does not permit the character of the granny to be brutal. But of course, looking at her picture, how could she be? She is a nice and friendly Granny Gruffalo. For what it’s worth, the other gruffalos would have killed the mouse before granny arrived, given the chance. She does have surprisingly little presence though, after her arrival.Kind of displeasing that she doesn’t actually meet the mouse in the words though - I’m not sure that the picture including both of them in the same shot really gets past this.
Special shout out to the illustrations too, they’re as good as ever.
It’s probably my least favourite of the Gruffalo series but it’s still pretty good. Do those of its target age agree? I can only hope so.

[Adria Kinney]

The Gruffalo and his daughter are preparing for a visit from Granny Gruffalo. They decide they will cook Granny's favorite stew, and set out to forage the necessary ingredients. The pair grab a mouse from the forest, certain it will make a tasty addition to their meal. The Gruffalos take the mouse home and lock it in a cage as they prepare the rest of the stew.

The mouse, however, is very clever. Rather than succumb passively to its fate, the mouse entertains the Gruffalos with spellbinding tales, always stopping for bedtime before finishing the stories, leaving the Gruffalos with cliffhanger after cliffhanger. In this way, the mouse ensures it will live another day, as the Gruffalos are eager to hear how the stories end! And once the Gruffalos have fallen sleep, in part lulled by the mouse's stories, the mouse gnaws down the bars of its cage, readying its escape.

The mouse does eventually escape, and Granny Gruffalo arrives before her son and daughter have time to find a substitute for the mouse to put in the stew. The Gruffalo and his daughter are nervous for Granny's opinion of the stew they have prepared, but...she loves it! It turns out that Granny has given up meat.

I loved this clever, entertaining tale, and I think children will, too. I was (somehow) unfamiliar with the larger Gruffalo franchise, but now I will check out the other books-- I can certainly understand their enduring appeal!