The return of the Gruffalo

October 11, 2026 / 9:28 AM EDT / CBS News

Julia Donaldson's stories have been filling children's heads with wonder for decades. "When I've got a pencil in my hand, it's like an electric current," she said. "My brain can send the words down my arm onto the page."

Donaldson has sold more than 75 million books worldwide, and more in the U.K. than any other author this century. Asked how it has changed her life, she replied, "I wouldn't say it's really changed my life, except, you know, recently I was made a dame!"

Dame Julia didn't achieve literary success until she was in her late 40s. A mom of three, she was writing songs for television when a publisher got in touch about one song, "A Squash and a Squeeze." "I very much thought of myself as a songwriter, and it was only when 'A Squash and a Squeeze' was made into a book, then I thought, yeah, of course, you know, I could do this," Donaldson said. "That was the beginning of it all."

Was it ever! In 1999, Donaldson created "The Gruffalo." The book about a monster outwitted by a clever mouse quickly became a modern…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/