The author of beloved children’s book The Gruffalo – which has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide – has revealed why she dedicated it to Auchterhouse Primary School in Angus.
Julia Donaldson, who published the tale in 1999, spoke to The Courier while visiting Broughty Ferry for a sold-out book signing event at The Bookhouse on Sunday.
The 73-year-old from England says she was inspired to dedicate the Gruffalo to the tiny primary school after a “memorable visit” during a book tour more than 20 years ago.
She said: “When I was on the Scottish book bus I visited that school and they gave me such a lovely warm welcome.
“I had written the Gruffalo so I recited it to them, and they then sent me drawings of what they thought the Gruffalo should look like.
“I said to them that if I ever did get it published then I would dedicate it to them.
“They were such a lovely little school – it was a very memorable visit.”
Julia – who has written more than 200 books – recalls that some pupils even wrote “really, really good sequels” to some of her other stories.
However, she is keen to set the record straight when it comes to exactly who wrote The Gruffalo – her most famous work.
She said: “It’s slightly annoying because somehow a rumour has got round that they helped me write it, which is not true at all.”
Julia, who resides in Sussex, is a regular visitor to Broughty Ferry, where her son Jerry lives with his wife Theresa, from Monifieth, and their six children.
The couple met at Dundee University in the early 2000s.
And it was during one visit two years ago that Julia first stumbled upon The Bookhouse on Gray Street, which was still new to the area.
Shop manager Peter Rome says the children’s author – whose personal wealth is estimated at more than £30m – “popped in” one day and started signing copies of her books.
It was a fortuitous meeting that would result in the sold-out book signing event that more than 70 families enjoyed at the independent store over the weekend.
Julia said: “I discovered this book shop during the pandemic, they hadn’t been open for very long.
“We agreed that next time I was up that we would fit in a book signing.”
The event saw hundreds of children greeted by live music and a dress-up Gruffalo at the door.
It comes ahead of the release of Julia’s newest book – Rock-a-Bye Rumpus – which features the voices of her grandchildren and could soon see millions of kids across the world singing her lullabies with a Dundee twang.
She said: “Two of our grandchildren from Broughty Ferry and two of our grandchildren from England are on the (accompanying) CD reciting some of the rhythms and songs in the book.
“It is just about to come out – but The Bookhouse has advance copies of it.”
In the meantime, Julia and her husband Malcolm are enjoying a few days in Broughty Ferry following a month-long stint in Edinburgh with her show The Gruffalo, the Giant and the Mermaid, which is based on a selection of her books.
The pair have enjoyed some of Dundee’s most-loved tourist attractions, including the Monikie and Camperdown country parks.
