It's The Gruffalo!

Partnership, collaboration and connected vision is vital to how we work at the National Literacy Trust.

It underpins our work and that is why we are working together with Macmillan Children’s Books to champion and promote the joy of early years reading and shared storytelling with the help of some of the most iconic children’s book characters!

The Gruffalo’s cultural importance cannot be overstated

It’s a title that has become the gateway to so many children’s lifelong love of books and stories. Children see themselves in the empowering characters, are swept along by Julia Donaldson's rhythm and rhyme and hooked by Axel Scheffler's classic illustrations.

Reading aloud and sharing stories with children from the very start of their lives helps develop early communication, language and literacy skills that will improve their life chances, so we are very excited that a return to the deep, dark wood also means a collaboration with Macmillan Children’s Books through our Early Words Matter campaign.

You can find more Gruffalo news and free activities at gruffalo.com

Every purchase makes a difference

Everyone who purchases a copy of The Gruffalo’s Child Activity Book is part of changing life stories through campaigns like Early Words Matter. Our events, workshops and resources empower and equip parents and carers to build their children's early language, communication and literacy skills right from their earliest moments.

With your help and through working together in partnerships with organisations like Macmillan Children’s Books, we can continue to support more children from disadvantaged backgrounds with the reading, writing, and communication skills they need to thrive. Growing in confidence together, sharing moments thanks to much-loved characters like the Gruffalo and friends to ensure every child has the same opportunities to grow, learn and thrive.

How are we changing lives through Early Words Matter?

Early Words Matter is a range of programmes, activities and online support for both early years practitioners and directly with parents and carers. Our recent launch in Liverpool is a brilliant example of how we are empowering families to support their children’s early development.

Transforming early childhood literacy in Liverpool

In July 2025, the National Literacy Trust, in partnership with The Very Group, launched a three-year initiative to boost children’s early language and communication in Liverpool, as part of our Early Words Matter campaign.

The launch event, which took place at Five Children’s Trust in Speke, saw 100 families come together for a morning of storytelling activities centred around The Gruffalo. The event marked the start of a new behaviour-change campaign we are piloting in Liverpool, using the magic and appeal of The Gruffalo to boost parental engagement, storytelling and young children’s love of reading. Macmillan Children’s Books and Magic Light Pictures have been pivotal in helping us embed the magic and appeal of the Gruffalo brand at the heart of this work.

The morning in Liverpool was designed to show parents how stories can be used as a springboard to chat and play as part of day-to-day life. Every child left with a gift-wrapped copy of The Gruffalo, generously donated by Macmillan Children’s Books, and an activity booklet, as well as The Gruffalo Sticker Pack from PaperProjects and The Gruffalo notepad and pen from Robert Frederick, kindly contributed by Magic Light Pictures, to continue the fun at home.

Watch our video below to experience for yourself the event’s impact as families immersed themselves in the world of the Gruffalo and discovered more about the benefits of sharing stories.