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Have you ever wondered at what age authors like Dame Jacqueline Wilson and the Brontës started writing? If you think it all started when they were adults, with classics like Tracy Beaker, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, you would be wrong!

The Brontës began writing way before that, creating imaginary worlds and compiling their own work when they were just children. Likewise, Dame Jacqueline knew she wanted to write from just six years old.

Now, these literary legends are coming together in one place in the form of an exhibition and festival to celebrate and recognise the genre of children’s literature - fittingly taking place at the Brontë Parsonage in Haworth, Yorkshire, where the family lived.

Pure imagination

Dame Jacqueline will be a guest speaker at this year’s Brontë Festival of Women’s Writing, which focuses on children’s literature and takes place Friday 20 - Sunday 22 September 2024. Her books have been on the shelves of thousands of libraries across the world, with her stories often sticking with readers from childhood through to adulthood.

Dame Jacqueline uses the power of imagination to reflect on the real-life experiences that some children face. She said: “I like to be truthful in my books and show what it’s like to experience some worrying situations – but I always try to sort things out for my characters so they can have a happy ending.”

Her first published novel was a children's book which was released when she was 23. "I love writing for children. I have such vivid memories of my own childhood. I suppose I write the sort of stories I wanted to read.

“I think childhood should definitely be celebrated, and every child encouraged to read lots of books and write stories. I think we’re at our most creative and imaginative when we’re young,” she added.

Ann Dinsdale, principal curator at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, said “The exhibition tells of how Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne Brontë lost their mother and two elder sisters in early childhood and how they sought refuge in an imaginary world.”

Toy soldiers bought for Branwell became the inspiration for several plays and stories written by the children. Ann added: “They produced miniature books and magazines, intended to be ‘read’ by the toy soldiers, and then hand-stitched into covers made from scraps of wallpaper or packaging." The books are tiny indeed, with some as small as 36 x 55mm (1.42 x 2.17 inches).

Inspiring the future

As she has written over 100 books, naturally we had to ask Dame Jacqueline for her tips and advice. She said: “It’s a good idea to read lots of books, to see how authors write their stories. It will also stimulate your own imagination and increase your vocabulary. And it’s fun! Then try writing just a short paragraph every day, whether you feel like it or not. It will get you into a regular writing habit and if you keep going for a few months you’ll have a really long story.”

The Brontë Parsonage Museum’s programme office Angela Clare understands the influence that reading as children can have on people as they grow older: “We always hope to inspire people to read more, write more, and try something new."

The Brontë doodles

The Brontës enjoyed drawing as well as writing, having lessons from an early age. They often had to copy engravings in books, resembling characters from their stories.

While putting together the exhibition, Ann discovered something: “The Brontës often doodled on the margins of their books. While deciding what objects to display in the exhibition we found tiny pencil sketches in one of the Brontës’ books which we’d not noticed before.”

For 30 years, Nick Sharratt illustrated Dame Jacqueline's books and now Rachael Dean has taken over bringing Dame Jacqueline’s characters to life. Speaking about illustrations and why they are key to children’s books, Dame Jacqueline mentioned: “I think they’re extremely important. I still very fondly remember special drawings in the books I read as a child."

The final question, are children’s books just for children? Dame Jacqueline said: “I think the best children’s books can be read by anyone of any age.”

This article was published in September 2024