‘All brilliant creations are a symphony, not a solo’

Children’s author Rachel Bright knew she wanted to pursue a career in the creative industries; always writing, illustrating and creating, she just didn’t know what direction to take.

The author studied graphic design at Kingston University, and describes her time there as particularly formative, remarking: “I learnt how to think and how to unthink what I’d been taught and what I thought I knew. I learnt about the importance of pushing the boundaries and finding the right vehicle for your story.”

This is when Rachel decided she wanted to create illustrated children’s books and, supported by her masters in multi-disciplinary printmaking at the UWE Bristol, Rachel started writing and illustrating.

She is now the bestselling author of an award winning and ever-growing collection of acclaimed children’s picture books, and has recently released her latest story, The Worrysaurus.

Image courtesy of Rachel Bright

For Rachel, writing children’s books is about “writing big things in a small way.” She explains that it’s a unique endeavour as the author is writing for both children and adults: “It gives you the opportunity to write about profound and universal ideas, but encourages you to communicate them in an easy-to-understand way wherein every word counts.”

Rachel’s greatest motivation in her writing is the idea that anyone, whether a child or a parent, feels at all affected by what she has written. After releasing The Lion Inside, a story of courage and self-esteem, she’s received a range of letters and emails from people telling her how moved they were by what she wrote.

“It’s what makes it worthwhile,” says Rachel. “It’s why each story in the Love Monster series has such a specific focus. I want it to matter. I want it to resonate.”

This proved successful as not only is Love Monster a bestselling series, it has also recently been adapted into an animated television show by CBeebies.

“I’ve been super lucky to be very involved in production,” Rachel, who is a creative on the show and has written two of the episodes, adds.

“The executive producers were very conscious of capturing the heart and soul of the stories. They wanted my input in evolving and expanding the world, which is something I was really grateful for.”

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Recently, Rachel has been a part of Melissa Thom’s new children’s literature podcast, Spellbound. “What I love about what Melissa is doing is that she’s getting to the bottom of the magic of children’s literature by including such a wide range of contributors: writers, illustrators, editors, the whole team. All brilliant creations are a symphony, not a solo.”

As well as releasing The Worrysaurus, Rachel is currently working on the next book in the Love Monster series; collaborating with Jim Field to continue The Lion Inside collection; and working with Chris Chatterson on The Hugasaurus, the sequel to her most recent release.

The Worrysaurus, Rachel’s most recent book, is out now. 

Main photo courtesy of The Bright Side

Read more: Children’s books podcast to launch on World Book Day