The story of Wonky Donkey and how a Scottish grandmother went global

A YouTube video of a Scottish grandmother who laughed so much she cried whilst reading a picture book to her small grandson has warmed the hearts of parents and non-parents alike, with the video receiving more than 8m views on Facebook globally.

The picture book she enjoyed reading so much, Wonky Donkey, is by New Zealander singer and songwriter Craig Smith. It starts off with the line: “I was walking down the road, and I saw a donkey... hee-haw! And he only had three legs. He was a wonky donkey.”

The book unfolds as a new description of the donkey appears on each page, with it ending up as a “spunky, hanky-panky, cranky, stinky, dinky, lanky, honky-tonky, winky, wonky donkey”.

The YouTube clip shows Scottish granny Janice Clark reading the book to four-month-old Archer, and she gasps with laughter after a few pages: “Oh dear, how can anybody read this seriously”.

The grandmother then composes herself before descending into laughter again, exclaiming: “This is going to kill me!”

In comparison, baby Archer appears completely unphased by the whole experience.

The book has been popular in Australia and New Zealand for a while and has enjoyed a more 'underground' following in the UK, due to its humorous storyline. Mr Smith credits British comedian Spike Milligan, and his mum, as his greatest influences.

The book is illustrated by British-born Katz Cowley, who earned a degree in Illustration from the University of Northumbria, before traveling around South East Asia and settling in New Zealand in 2000. The book is published in the UK by Hachette.

Now Wonkey Donkey is virtually impossible to get hold of in the UK since the YouTube clip went viral, and one copy of the book was on sale on eBay for over £800.

Mr Smith told the Guardian, demand for the picture book had “gone through the roof” due to the hilarious video of Ms Clark, and hopes the book will gain more of a following in the UK and other countries as a result.