Eason's Buy One Gift One Campaign Is Giving Gruffalo Books to Children in Need
If your little one has ever roared along to The Gruffalo at bedtime — and whose hasn’t — then this one is going to make your heart genuinely happy. Eason has just launched a brilliant new campaign that means every time you buy a Gruffalo book in store or online, another copy goes directly to a child in need across Ireland. And if you’re in Cork, there’s an extra treat on the way.
The initiative is called Buy One, Gift One and it’s a partnership between Eason, Macmillan Children’s Books and the national charity Children’s Books Ireland. For every Gruffalo book sold by Eason in the Republic of Ireland between now and July 2027, Macmillan Children’s Books will donate a copy of the brand-new Gruffalo Granny to Children’s Books Ireland, for a child who might not otherwise have a book of their own. The campaign aims to gift up to 20,000 books in total — which is, when you think about it, an extraordinary thing.
Why this matters more than you might think
According to Children’s Books Ireland CEO Elaina Ryan, more than one in five children under the age of four in Ireland are never read to. Never. That’s not a parenting judgement — we all know life gets in the way, the evenings get long, the kids are tired and so are we — but it’s a stark reminder of how much a single book, handed to the right child at the right moment, can change things.
“Together we’re working to enact real change around attitudes to reading and encourage families to connect with one another by reading a well-loved story with their young children,” said Ryan. “Children’s Books Ireland is committed to ensuring that every child has an equitable chance to become a reader, to experience the joy of a great story and reap all the benefits that come with reading for joy.”
The new book at the centre of the campaign, Gruffalo Granny, is written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler — the dream team behind the original — so you already know the quality is there.
The Gruffalo is coming to Cork
To mark the campaign launch, the Gruffalo himself will be heading to Cork during the second week of July for a very special character visit. Families will be able to meet him at 11:00 AM at Eason’s Cork store — so if you’ve got a Gruffalo-obsessed little one, now is the time to start building the anticipation. Check Eason’s Children’s Reading Hub for the latest details on exact locations and timings before you head out.
Lisa O’Brien, Group Head of E-Commerce and Marketing at Eason, said the partnership reflects something the team genuinely believes in. “At Eason, we believe in the power of stories to inspire, educate, and entertain. The partnership allows our customers to not only enjoy a beloved Gruffalo tale but also to directly contribute to spreading that joy to children who might otherwise miss out.”
A reading resource worth bookmarking
Eason has also recently launched a dedicated Children’s Reading Hub online, built on the back of national research that found digital distractions and a lack of time were the biggest barriers stopping kids from reading — which, honestly, will come as a surprise to absolutely no one who has ever tried to prise a tablet out of a six-year-old’s hands at half seven on a school night.
The Hub offers age-based book recommendations, interest-led curations and practical advice to help make reading feel less like a battle and more like something the whole family can actually enjoy. It’s a genuinely useful resource and worth a look even outside of this campaign.
So next time you’re picking up a Gruffalo book — for a birthday, for bedtime, or just because — know that you’re doing a little bit of good beyond your own four walls too. And that’s a nice feeling, isn’t it.