Gruffalo author to become a dame on King’s Honours list

Donaldson has received her damehood for services to literature.

Speaking to PA Julia Donaldson said being made a dame was a “very happy surprise”, as she issued a plea to the Government for “more libraries and more librarians in our communities and schools” so children can enjoy the benefits of reading.

The former children’s laureate has written more than 200 books including The Snail And The Whale, Room On The Broom, Zog, Stick Man, Tiddler, The Scarecrows’ Wedding and The Highway Rat.

Queen Camilla speaking with author Julia Donaldson during a reception to celebrate the centenary of BookTrust, at Clarence House in 2025 (Image: Aaron Chown)

Dame Julia, 77, has sold more than 50 million books worldwide and last year supplanted Harry Potter writer JK Rowling as the UK’s all-time top author in terms of units sold.

She joins 17 others recognised with damehoods including author Malorie Blackman, Labour MP and Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) chairwoman Jessica Morden and former Merseyside chief constable Serena Kennedy.

Donaldson’s influence in Oxford is marked by her stories being widely celebrated and performed across the city, including stage adaptations at the Oxford Playhouse.

Her educational impact is also notable, with her “Songbirds” phonics reading scheme, published as part of Oxford University Press’s Oxford Reading Tree, used in schools to support early reading development.

Gruffalo and Friends attraction (Image: Sheila Burnett)

In 2013 Donaldson attended the Oxford Literary Festival Young People’s Programme.

The former Children’s Laureate who is best known for The Gruffalo, Stick Man and Room of the Broom gave the young visitors of the Festival a unique insight into her work.

In March this year Julia attended the Bodley Lecture and Award of the Bodley Medal at the Sheldonian Theatre, discussing her collaboration with Axel Scheffler, who attended with her and receiving the Bodley Medal.

Her longtime collaborator illustrator Axel Scheffler (Image: Sandy Young/PA Media Assignments)

The medal is the highest honour awarded by the Bodleian Libraries at Oxford University to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the world of books, literature, libraries, media and communications.

The third instalment of ‘The Gruffalo’ series comes this September more than 20 years after author Donaldson’s last foray into the deep dark wood with 2004’s The Gruffalo’s Child, a sequel to 1999’s best-selling original The Gruffalo.

Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson (Image: Macmillan/PA Wire)

Explaining the long gap between the second and third books, she said: “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.

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

The story will feature illustrations by Donaldson’s frequent collaborator Axel Scheffler, and will see the return of the characters from the previous two books, including Fox, Snake, Owl and Mouse.