How I got the idea for The Story of Tracy Beaker By: Jacqueline Wilson
People often ask me how I got the idea for The Story of Tracy Beaker. I think it was because I was haunted by those photos of children in care in local newspapers. You know the sort of thing I mean - there's a child grinning toothily and a little caption and a paragraph outlining the child's personality. These paragraphs are sometimes a bit blunt. It's made plain that one child has learning difficulties and another has behaviour problems and a third can't relate happily to other children. I understand why you need to make this clear right from the start, but I couldn't help wondering how it must feel to be one of those kids, having all your personal problems highlighted in public. It's fine if you're little and cute and aren't old enough to know that you're being advertised in this way. It's a bit different if you're older and odd and not particularly attractive. How are you going to feel if the children at school see your advert? And what happens if no-one comes forward to foster you? What's it going to feel like then?
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By: Jacqueline Wilson
I understand why you need to make this clear right from the start, but I couldn't help wondering how it must feel to be one of those kids, having all your personal problems highlighted in public. It's fine if you're little and cute and aren't old enough to know that you're being advertised in this way. It's a bit different if you're older and odd and not particularly attractive. How are you going to feel if the children at school see your advert? And what happens if no-one comes forward to foster you? What's it going to feel like then?
