There's a children's book on my website that almost never existed. It sat on a shelf for a few years. And when it finally came to life, it became one of the most meaningful things I've ever made.
My name is Anja, I'm an illustrator based in Scarborough, and this is the story behind my first children's book.
It Started With My Grandad
A few years ago my grandad, Graham Chambers, gave me a book he had sketched and written himself. He asked if I'd be interested in having a go at turning it into a proper illustrated book.
I loved the idea. But I put it on the shelf.
Not because I didn't care about it — quite the opposite. I just knew that my skillset at the time wouldn't have done it justice. It deserved to be done properly, and I wasn't ready yet.
So it waited. And I kept working on my art.
Christmas 2023
In Christmas 2023, something shifted. I pulled the story back out and decided to spend some proper time with it. I expanded the narrative, fleshed out the characters, and started illustrating it digitally, page by page, building the world that had lived in my grandad's imagination (and mine) for years.
The whole time, I told my family one thing: don't tell Grandad. Not a word.
I wanted to surprise him.
The Story Itself
The Girl Who Bounced Too High was originally written by my grandad, based on both my sisters. Over a few months from Dec 2023 I expanded the story, added new characters, and illustrated it digitally from cover to cover.
It follows two sisters spending a sunny day outside with Ted the bear and Sparkles the cat. When they discover a trampoline surrounded by daisies while feeding the birds, Lily decides to have a go, and then decides to see just how high she can bounce.
It's colourful, full of character, and genuinely fun at any age. Picture books are such a perfect medium for storytelling. They're for children, yes — but really they're for anyone who enjoys a good story and beautiful art.
Keeping the Secret
The whole time I was working on this, my grandad had no idea.
I kept it completely quiet. I wanted to surprise him, to hand him a finished, illustrated, properly published version of the story he'd written and sketched years ago, with both our names on it.
I bought three print samples to check the colour, paper thickness, cover weight, bleed and text. I bought an ISBN and a barcode, which means once the book is in hand it's ready to go into local independent bookshops too.
The first 50 copies were signed by both of us together. He started this story. I finished it. It felt right that we'd both put our names to it.
Why This One Matters
I've made a lot of things I'm proud of. Enamel pins, washi tape, stickers — all of it starts as a doodle that becomes something people can hold and keep. This book is that same idea, just bigger and more personal than anything I've done before.
But it's my first children's book. It's also a gift to my grandad, and a reminder to myself that the things worth doing are sometimes worth waiting until you're ready for.
I documented parts of the process on YouTube if you'd like to see how it came together, from the early illustrations to holding the finished book for the first time.
Click below :)
