![]() ![]() For the next few years, a Donaldson/Scheffler film was as much a Christmas Day TV fixture as the Queen’s speech. Like his predecessors Pooh and Paddington, the Gruffalo, created in 1999, is a cultural icon in his own right: a megaselling brand including Gruffalo- themed adventures and merchandising from mugs to pants the book has become a West End theatre staple (its offspring The Gruffalo’s Child is this year’s seasonal show at London’s Lyric Hammersmith) and an animated film watched by nearly 10 million people on Christmas Day in 2009. Based on 2016 figures, she retains her crown as the UK’s reigning No 1 author. To think back to the more innocent days of 2014, Donaldson’s book sales beat those of Harry Potter, Fifty Shades of Grey and Dan Brown’s books. Donaldson was the first author to record UK sales of more than £10m for five consecutive years, making her the fourth bestselling writer in British history. ![]() The UK’s bestselling children’s author? JK Rowling, obviously! Wrong. And what a “British product” the Gruffalo – and his picture book dynasty – is. ![]()
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