The return of the Gruffalo
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 classic, and was adapted to film.
The Gruffalo himself was drawn into being by illustrator Axel Scheffler. He said he had no inkling it would become so huge: "I had no idea at all. I thought it would sell a few thousand copies and be forgotten. I was completely wrong."
Today, the Gruffalo is everywhere, and Scheffler, like Donaldson, seems bemused by it all. "There's no escape," he said. "Of course, I'm very happy that he's got such a universal appeal. It seems to be really all over the world."
Asked what their lives might have been like if they'd never met, Donaldson replied, "Maybe we just find other wonderful partnerships, so you never know."
"I don't think anybody goes into children's books to become rich or famous," said Scheffler. "That was just a side effect. So, we just carry on with doing the next book."
Their latest is "Gruffalo Granny." It came out last month, and is now the U.K.'s best-selling book of the year across all genres.
It's dedicated to Malcolm, Donaldson's late husband and creative confidant. Her notebooks contain many of the inspirations she received from her husband. "It says, 'Ideas from walk with Malcolm: Aliens ... blue and red ... Romeo and Juliet.' That did become 'The Smeds and the Smoos,'" Donaldson said.
In the U.S., her bestseller is "Room on the Broom." Donaldson's books brim with wit and humor, but her stories take children seriously. She is a great advocate for children reading. "I just think it's one of life's great pleasures," she said. "It helps you become more empathetic. It fires your imagination. So, I just want all children to have that opportunity."
She pondered the lack of attention often given children's literature compared to adult fiction, considering how much it can sell: "It's definitely an awful lot more than you'd think," she said. "You don't very often get a deep, proper critical review of a children's book. I think it's a big misjudgment of what people are interested in, because a big percentage of adults are parents, another percentage are grandparents, another percent are teachers. So, yeah, big mistake!"
Story produced by Mikaela Bufano. Editor: Lauren Barnello.
For more info:
- "Gruffalo Granny" by Julia Donaldson, illustrations by Axel Scheffler (Dial Books), in Hardcover and audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
- gruffalo.com
- juliadonaldson.co.uk
- axelscheffler.com
- Thanks to The Alligator's Mouth Bookshop, London.
