At Hachette, which publishes the book in the UK, group picture book director Emma Layfield said the publisher had already seen a “well-deserved jump in demand” for the book, “especially in Scotland”. Cowley said that while The Wonky Donkey has been a household name in Australia and New Zealand since it was first published in 2009, the book had been only “an underground success” in the UK. Although the picture book, which is illustrated by Katz Cowley, had sold more than 1m copies around the world to date, the majority of that was in Australia and New Zealand, said Smith, who hopes it will find a more global readership. I am so glad that Wonky’s reputation has finally come to bite him on the bum on this side of the world thanks to ‘Wonky’s Guardian Granny’. I couldn’t be more delighted,” Cowley said, calling Clark “a reminder in life, when all else fails, to fall about laughing. She has a spirit like Wonky’s.”

Wonky Donkey: viral video of grandmother makes picture The Wonky Donkey: viral video of grandmother makes picture

The video is gold. Watching Janice read and laugh was just delightful, and like many, her infectious laugh had me laughing too,” said Smith. “I’ve always wondered why sales had not taken off so much in the UK and US, but that looks like that’s about to change.” A home video of a Scottish grandmother’s uncontrollable giggles while reading The Wonky Donkey picture book to her baby grandson have sent book lovers around the world rushing to get their hands on a copy, with publishers left scrambling to meet demand.