Bella J. Dark, 5, Sets New Guinness World Record as the Youngest Published Female Author

It took Bella J. Dark, 5, just five days to finish writing and illustrating her first book, "The Lost Cat," published by Ginger Fyre Press in January 2022. Six months later, the book has smashed a Guinness World Record after it sold more than 1,000 copies, thus, making Bella the youngest published female author in the world.

According to Guinness, Bella, who hails from the U.K., broke the previous record held by Dorothy Straight more than six decades ago. In 1958, Straight, then six years old, wrote: "How the World Began." However, the book was not published until 1964 by Pantheon Books.

To qualify for the title of Youngest Published Author, the child must be able to have a book printed and distributed by a commercial publishing company. The book must also sell 1,000 copies or more.

What is Bella J. Dark's Book About?

"The Lost Cat" follows the adventures of Snowy the cat, who found herself lost after she ventured all by herself one night. It's a story centering on staying safe with the hope of teaching kids not to go on their own when it's already dark outside.

Bella started conceptualizing the book with pictures until her father suggested she could make a story out of it. Her mom, Chelsie Syme, said she was not surprised by Bella's achievement because she has been using her creative mind to write and draw stories since she was 3. Bella's older sister, Lacie May, contributed one of her own drawings to the book.

Then the family met with a publisher at a book fair to discuss printing the story. Bella learned the publishing process early on, but her mother helped her deal with proof copies and other changes for the book before it could be print-ready.

The book is selling for under $8 at online stores like Amazon or Waterstones. It's also on Amazon Kindle.

Bella's family is very proud of what she has done. The 5-year-old girl is now planning her next story and a potential follow-up, "Snowy's Birthday Party," per Good News Network.

Rave Reviews for Bella's Book

So far, the book has received a 4.7 out of 5-star rating on Amazon with 81 percent positive reviews. One customer said they could not resist buying it after learning it was written and drawn by a 5-year-old. Another customer, who is a parent, said that the message of her story was easy to understand for the youngsters, but a disappointed grandparent noted that she was hoping the publisher retained Bella's own handwriting and spelling.

Bella, who was born in July 2016, counts "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," "What the Ladybird Heard," and "Splat the Cat" as some of her inspirations for creating "The Lost Cat." While she is the youngest published author for girls, the youngest person to publish a book among the boys is a 4-year-old from Sri Lanka, Thanuwana Serasinghe, whose book "Junk Food" was released in 2017.