Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, announces the worldwide release of The Grinny Granny Donkey, the third hilarious title to come out of the famous Wonky Donkey stable. The Wonky Donkey is the internationally bestselling picture book phenomenon written by Craig Smith and illustrated by Katz Cowley. Its bestselling sequel, The Dinky Donkey, was published in November 2019 and in November 2020, The Grinny Granny Donkey will be published simultaneously in New Zealand, Australia, the U.S., Canada and the U.K. World rights to The Grinny Granny Donkey were acquired by Scholastic New Zealand, from Craig Smith, with Felicity Trew at the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency representing Katz Cowley.

Originally published in 2009, The Wonky Donkey is a run-away bestseller and has been a household name in New Zealand and Australia for more than a decade. Thanks to a 2018 video of Scottish grandmother Janice Clark reading The Wonky Donkey to her grandson, the catchy, rhyming story became a viral sensation with more than 200 million views globally, making it an instant #1 international bestseller. The Wonky Donkey has now sold over 2.2 million units across all formats and channels in the U.S. and is the only picture book to feature on PW’s longest-running children’s bestsellers of 2019 for all 52 weeks of the year. The Wonky Donkey is a record-breaker in the U.K. market too, being one of only a few picture books to sell over 200,000 copies in a single year and the only one on record to sell that many of a single edition two years in a row. Since 2018, nearly half a million copies have been sold in the U.K.

With more than 4 million copies in print worldwide, fans of The Wonky Donkey eagerly awaited a sequel. Following in her famous daddy’s footsteps, The Dinky Donkey delivered a huge dose of reading fun, galloping straight onto bestseller charts globally, causing readers around the world to laugh out loud at the antics of Wonky’s blinky pinky winky-tinky dinky daughter! Now, true to the winning formula of clever, cumulative story structure and tongue-twisting rhyme, the sweet and funny Grinny Granny Donkey is set to get the world giggling all over again.

Author Craig Smith says, “I'm excited to present The Grinny Granny Donkey — a fun tribute to all the giggling grannies out there who love their families, love to read to their grandchildren, and miss them dearly when they're not around.”

Illustrator Katz Cowley says, “Grinny Granny is our marvellous matriarch of donkeydom, embodying in her own way the roots of Wonky and Dinky to remind us that while we are all uniquely ourselves, our ancestry also plays an important part in who we are. This quirky and quaint Granny has her family values embedded at the very heart of all that she is. She is a pleasure to bring to life in honour of Wonky's very own guardian 'Scottish Granny'!”

Scholastic NZ Publisher Lynette Evans adds, “Grannies are treasured the world over, and what we love most about The Grinny Granny Donkey is that we now have a family group hug spanning three generations! We are delighted that Craig and Katz have created this lovable, sweet and very funny granny donkey to form a Wonky-Dinky-Granny family circle, and we can’t wait to bring this next dose of laughter and read-aloud fun to the world.” 

About the Creators
Singer/songwriter Craig Smith is an itinerant musician and #1 bestselling author from Queenstown in New Zealand’s South Island, who performs around New Zealand and Australia. British-born Katz Cowley has a degree in Illustration from the University of Northumbria. A former resident of Christchurch, New Zealand, she now lives back in England.

About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, a leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services and classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining children’s media. The Company creates and distributes quality books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12 and other products and services that support children’s learning and literacy both in school and at home. With 15 international operations and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail and online. True to its mission of 100 years to encourage the personal and intellectual growth of all children beginning with literacy, the Company has earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families. Learn more at www.scholastic.com. 

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CONTACT:
Lauren Donovan
Senior Director of Publicity
Scholastic Inc. 
(212) 389-3786; ldonovan@scholastic.com