Hampton local, Lesley Wright Rathbone, has recently published her first children's book Alice's Wish and a Magic Fish. 

Lesley had just moved to Hampton when the pandemic hit, around four years ago now. Still, it has not dampened her experience of the area. 

She said: ""Even though it's part of London, it still has a real village-y feel. The bakery and little shops, you see the same people quite often." 

Lesley spoke of the neighbourhood WhatsApp group where members would look out for each other. "If someone has run out of something, someone will put it on the WhatsApp group and someone will have the ingredient and take it over," Lesley said. "It was very useful in lockdown." 

More recently, the Hampton community went big for Halloween. "I have never seen so many people out on the streets at one time. Everybody knew each other it was lovely," Lesley said. "Everyone was talking to each other and just enjoying Halloween with the children." 

Lesley with her first published book. (Photo: Supplied)

To travel, or not to travel 

Written during lockdown 2020, The book details a little girl called Alice who has never travelled anywhere but dreams of seeing the world. Almost like a child escapism from a world in lockdown and travel restrictions. Do not worry- it is not a pandemic book.

From eating croissants beside the Eiffel Tower to ice-skating in Central Park, Alice is about to experience a night like no other as she sets off on a magical adventure around the globe. 

Lesley's inspiration for the story came from an abstract map of the world, showing around 20 or 30 landmarks, which hangs on her son's bedroom wall. 

"I was just staring at the map at nighttime, and rhymes coming into my head," Lesley said. "I have a love for travel, and it just inspired me to write a book about travel." 

Lesley said she is "lucky enough" to have been to all the places in the book: London, Paris, New York and Sydney.  

"People say write what you know," Lesley said. "It's nice to write about the places I've been and have experienced." 

Although Lesley stated New York was her "favourite place", having been there three times, it she felt she could not write a travel book without London. 

She told Nub News the London chapter was not originally in the book. Lesley had finished writing the story with only three chapters for three places. 

Lesley said: "Then, I just thought, it just didn't seem right without London. It's one of the world's most amazing cities and it's so close to home. It had to be in there." 

"I gave myself more work by writing another chapter," she added with a chuckle. 

Book cover. (Photo: Pegasus Publishers)

The reading and writing process 

Her first book, Lesley wrote the story when her son was just four years old after she had read "a lot" of picture books to him. "I was reading them every night for four years," she said. 

"I could see what sort of things they were out there and how worked, what sort of things children liked or didn't like," Lesley said. She noticed how bright, colourful illustrations and rhymes engaged children. 

Harnessing her experience of children's books, Lesley decided to have a go at writing in rhyme. She said rhyming made it "quite difficult" and a "longer process". 

"Writing in rhyme is quite difficult," Lesley explained, "because you have so much to say and you're trying to condense it into a line with all the syllables in the right place. 

But Lesley stood by her decision. She said: "It kind of sticks in your head like a song, you've got to remember verses...children can join in with them the more you read them." 

Although maybe not an easy task, it became more "therapeutic" and "fun" when the story started coming together. 

"It's nice to read it out loud to people and see their reaction," Lesley said. She had just been to a local school in Hampton and read the story in a Years 1 and 2 assembly. "It was the first time I've read it out to people, so it was nice seeing them pay attention and really listening and asking lots of questions at the end," she added. 

More excited than nervous about her book's launch, Lesley explained everyone she knows has got their copies on order. 

"I can't wait for everyone to read it," she said. Adding: "I know a lot of people with children and the thought of their children reading it at bedtime is lovely." 

What is perhaps most exciting is seeing the book in the flesh: "I haven't seen it in a book shop yet so I'm really looking forward to that," Lesley said. "I want to go to Waterstones in Richmond and see it on the shelf." 

Previously a columnist for the independent newspaper, what is the difference between seeing your words in print or on a shelf? 

"What was funny about writing the columns is that I never thought anyone, but my family would be reading them," Lesley admitted. "I remember one time my friend rang me up saying someone in the pub was sat next to her reading my column. 

"That was bizarre. It was out there in the world and anybody could read it. It made it more real." 

You can find Lesley's book, Alice's Wish and a Magic Fish, on Pegasus Publishers, WHSmith and Bookshop.org.