Guinness World Records verified that a five-year-old British girl has become the youngest individual to publish a book (female).

Bella Jay Dark of Weymouth, United Kingdom, wrote and painted a book called The Lost Cat, which she published and sold over 1,000 copies to gain the Guinness title and break the world record.

Bella, who was born on July 4, 2016, was only 5 years and 211 days old when her self-authored book was released on January 31, 2022 by a UK-based publisher.

Bella’s mother, Chelsie Syme, assisted her in writing and illustrating the book, which was published by Ginger Fyre Press, a children’s book publisher.

“Her father and I am both really proud,” Syme said of the achievement. “It’s about a cat that gets lost and realises she shouldn’t go out without her mother, so it’s a positive message.”

Bella’s mother received formal confirmation of her achievement from Guinness World Records earlier this week.

Bella’s parents believed it was “one of those things” that kids her age say when she initially told them she wanted to write a book last year. When they presented the 32-page book to a fair, though, they were startled to hear that someone was interested in publishing it.

“She did all of the drawings herself, with the exception of one in the rear that her elder sister Lacey-May did,” she explained. “This honour is well earned for all of the hard work and commitment she put into The Lost Cat, and we’re confident she’ll do the same with her future novels. Keep an eye out for The Lost Cat 2!”