Guest Post by: UK-based children’s book reviewer, LoveReading.
British authors who write popular children’s books have the ability to create stories that have roots in everyday life. To do this, they tap into their memories of their own childhood’s emotions and experiences.
We’ve compiled a list of the most popular British children’s authors and their books which have captured the hearts of children (and adults) the world over:
1. Roald Dahl – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was based on his childhood exposure to chocolate companies such as Cadbury and Rowntree. As a schoolboy he watched them having contests and enforcing strict security measures to insure their chocolate making secrets were not stolen by competitors.
2. C.S. Lewis – The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
Although a late-in-life Christian convert, C.S. Lewis claims he did not intend to create an allegorical tale with “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.” Later in life, he admitted that the animal characters in the book like the lion Aslan did contain elements from throughout the Bible.
3. J.M. Barrie – Peter Pan
J.M. Barrie was inspired by children he knew in real life — and later adopted — for his best-known play “Peter Pan.” His story takes fictional versions of these children to a fantasy world, Neverland, where their imaginings can come to life.
4. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
J.K. Rowling did not base characters in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” on people in real life. But she did express the grief that she felt her mother’s death through Harry’s yearning to be reunited with his parents who died the day the story begins.
5. Anthony Horowitz – Storm Breaker
Writer Anthony Horowitz wrote Storm Breaker to imitate the fast-action pace of spy movies his kids enjoyed, but did not want to create a 14-year-old version of James Bond, but rather a school kid who is coerced into being a spy.
6. Jacqueline Wilson – The Illustrated Mum
Jacqueline Wilson’s children’s novels like “The Illustrated Mum” are crafted to show the humorous and softer side of tough girls. By exposing the harsh circumstances they endure, she develops compassion in the reader for the savvy ways they deal with the challenges of their lives.
7. Beatrix Potter – Peter Rabbit
Beatrix Potter was raised in the Victorian-era Britain and outwardly seemed a shy little girl. However, young Beatrix kept a fascinating diary, which later revealed her liveliness and passion for writing – including the criticism of other artists even at a very young age. The Tale of Peter Rabbit is about the menace Peter Rabbit as he causes havoc in the garden of Mr McGregor. The book was first widely published in 1902 and has since never been out of print.
8. Philip Pullman – The Golden Compass
Philip Pullman used his alma mater, Oxford, as the home of Lyra, the main character who lives in another version that many similar landmarks. In Lyra’s world, however, people’s souls live outside their bodies in the shape of animals known as daemons.
9. Francesca Simon – Horrid Henry
Since writer Francesca Simon began producing children’s books like “Horrid Henry” after her son Josh was born, people have wondered if he was the inspiration for either of Horrid Henry or Perfect Peter, but she says her stories are meant to show there is a little bit of each character in everyone.
10. Enid Blyton – Noddy
Enid Blyton was always a natural storyteller who entertained her playmates with fantastic stories. She learned that tales with whimsical characters like in “Noddy” amused her friends the most, so she created the mythical Toytown where he could have grand adventures.
These English writers have remained popular because their stories have relevance to children regardless of their location. Their legacy shows that children everywhere respond to tales that touch their hearts and capture their imagination.
