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So why do I write and illustrate for
children?
Without a shadow of a doubt it's
because of the experiences I had as a child. Who can forget that magical moment
when you open a book for the first time and become totally immersed in a new
and exciting world; to open the pages and literally fall in?
Enid Blyton was my favourite growing
up and the excitement I had reading The Magic Faraway Tree is unsurpassed to
this day, although this could have more to do with the fact that I had the
innocence of a child and was a complete sponge, soaking up everything and
becoming part of the story. The nearest I've got to it as an adult is reading
the Harry Potter books.
Brer Rabbit, again by Blyton was
also a favourite character, I was lucky enough to grow up in a small town in
the North of England, surrounded by riverside (literally on the doorstep),
woods and moorland and the natural world, along with the animals and birds that
inhabited it were a natural extension of my garden, so anything to do with
talking animals and their adventures was a must-have.
At the same time I was also
attracted to Beatrix Potter's characters, again an animal theme but this time
it was the illustrations that drew (no pun intended) me in, thus was my
foundation for illustrated children's books and it just continued from there.
Nowadays technology is an everyday
part of our lives and is part of every aspect of it, and whilst I celebrate it
on the one hand, it giving me the opportunity to write and publish my books and
to connect with my readers from all over the world at the touch of button, I
can't help but feel that we are missing the beauty of the world around us.
I'm passionate about nature and it's
animals and am a joint founder and volunteer for a dog rescue as well as
supporting other wildlife organisations. The over-riding goal with my books is
to educate children about the animal world and its welfare, but to do it in a
way that the 'learning' is cunningly disguised as fun and to create 'A World of
Imagination' that the reader can immerse themselves in and become a part of,
basically to experience the wonder I had in my childhood.
My cousin said not so long ago that
I could write and illustrate for children because I was on their wavelength, I
shall take that in the way that it was meant, rather than assume she was
questioning my maturity, but in point of fact she is right, in many ways I
still think on the level of the child I was. I see the beauty and the magic in
the natural world around me and want everyone, but especially children to see
it the same way that I do, it's special and incredible in so many ways and on
so many levels that I believe we are missing an important part of life if we
don't open our eyes to what is around us.
So that's why I write for children
so I can help a child feel magical and excited and curious about everything in
the natural world around them, so they know about the woodland creatures that
are the characters in my books and can identify them in reality and so that
when the time comes they too will perhaps support the effort to keep it the way
that nature intended.
Jacquie
