Ahead of our events for World Book Day, we spoke to Patience Agbabi (The Time Thief), Jess Kidd (Everyday Magic), and Smriti Halls (Not That Pet!, Rain Before Rainbows) to learn more about their craft and passion for children’s literature.

What is your favourite children’s book?

That’s a difficult question, there are so many great books out there. When I was growing up, I loved The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis and Tom’s Midnight Garden by Phillipa Pearce because I was obsessed with portals to other worlds and times. My favourite book from 2020 was A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll which had a brilliant autistic main protagonist, who also had an autistic sister. All the characters in the book were so believable and the storyline was compelling.

What makes you passionate about being a writer?

Being a writer is like making magic. You conjure characters and scenes out of words that can be written down or spoken out loud into the air like spells. I write poems too so I love the musicality of language and the shapes that poems make on the page.

What do you hope children will learn from your books?

Empathy: what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes. How the passing and shaping of time hugely affects our experience of the world. And that wordplay is a truly wonderful thing!

What do you love most about writing books for children?

I love to create worlds, especially magical ones. Everyday Magic was drawn from my own wishes and dreams as a child (to run away with a circus) and the stories I told my daughter, Eva, when she was small. In a sense, I get to relive both our childhoods by writing books for children.

What makes a memorable children’s book character?

Flawed and filled with hopes and fears, they might not always succeed but they try – and that makes them loveable and relatable. Curiosity, bravery and loyalty are traits I especially value in children’s book characters.

Where and when do you first discover your characters?

Sometimes the shape or theme of a story appears before the characters themselves. But, when they do arrive, I first discover my characters through their voice. Often, before I can see what they look like – or even decide whether they’re a human or an animal character – it’s their voice that I can hear. Once I have that, I know I have my story.

Can you tell us about your writing process?

I need coffee, comfort and total quiet. That can be – and has been – almost anywhere from libraries, to trains and planes, to sitting in the car with one of my children asleep in the back seat, to propped up on pillows in bed! A lot of the writing happens in my head before I put pen to paper, other times I want to get it down as quickly as possible, but either way, I only let others see a story when I’m totally satisfied. Sometimes that takes a few days. Sometimes it takes years.

How do you go about collaborating on the illustrations for your books?

Once a text is acquired the publisher will seek out the perfect illustrator to bring that story to life. I’m likely to be involved in conversations about style and character development and I will get to see and comment on the rough drawings and other snippets along the way, but most collaboration and conversation will happen through our editor and often the author and illustrator don’t meet until the book is complete. It’s always a thrill to see the book take shape and come to life.