Jude and the book factory: 'My son loved hiding books - now his legacy brings books to sick children in need'
What began as one little boy’s idea to hide books for others to find has grown into a Sheffield charity bringing comfort to thousands of children facing illness and grief.
When four-year-old Jude Mellon Jameson was undergoing intense treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma, books became his greatest comfort.
Now, in his memory, his mum Lucy has turned that love of stories into a charity bringing comfort to thousands of children facing illness and grief.
“Jude was so curious, he wanted to know everything. Even when he was ill, he so was energetic and funny,” Lucy said.
“He loved dancing, theatre, Elton John, and dinosaurs. Books gave him the chance to explore the world when he couldn’t leave the hospital.”
Jude and the Book Factory donates brand new books to children and young people in hospitals, hospices, and families affected by cancer or grief.
Since it launched, the Sheffield-based charity has gifted almost 7,000 books across England.
“For children like Jude, books aren’t just stories,” Lucy explained.
“They’re comfort during long hospital stays, a way to escape treatment and a chance to find hope and imagination when everything else feels uncertain.”
The idea started with Jude himself.
Child’s idea to a legacy of charity
During treatment, he had hundreds of books piling up, and Lucy knew they had to do something about it but couldn’t bear to give some of the most special ones to charity.
Jude came up with a simple but magical idea: hide them for other children to find.
“It was the kind of idea only a child would have,” Lucy said.
“He said, ‘Let’s hide them for others to find!’
“Jude would carefully choose which books to hide, then we’d go out together and tuck them in little spots, then he’d sit and watch quietly, waiting for someone to notice.”
“He’d get so excited when someone picked one up - it was pure joy for him.”
Over time, the idea spread far beyond Sheffield.
More than 1,000 families joined in, hiding books in their own communities.
Some were found in Manchester, and even as far away as Peru.
“Two years after Jude passed away, I got a message from someone in Peru saying they’d found one of his books,” Lucy said.
“We don’t even know how it got there. It felt like he’d travelled the world through the stories he loved.”
Helping children feel seen and supported
Lucy says books helped Jude make sense of what he was going through.
His treatment was hard to explain, an adult concept for such a young mind.
But stories helped him understand, and more importantly, helped him feel less alone.
“Chemo affected Jude’s hearing, and he had to wear hearing aids,” Lucy said.
“Seeing characters in books who looked like him - with hearing aids, in wheelchairs, or with no hair - made such a difference.
“It helped him feel like, ‘Oh wait, that person looks just like me.’”
Since Jude’s passing, his idea has evolved into a charity that sends brand new books to hospitals, hospices and children coping with grief.
The charity now provides a wide range of books: classic children’s stories by authors like Julia Donaldson to help pass time, mental health books to encourage emotional resilience and grief books to support children who have lost siblings or parents.
“Mental health is just as important for children,” Lucy said.
“When you’re trapped in a hospital room between four walls, it’s easy to lose your connection to the outside world. Reading helps keep that spark alive.”
Lucy also donates grief books to hospices such as Rotherham and St Luke’s.
“Grief is such a difficult subject, these books translate it into language children can understand. They open the door to conversations when the child is ready, and it helps them come back to the story whenever they need to.”
A small act making a big difference
Every book donated by the charity is brand new - something a child can keep, return to, and treasure.
“Libraries are wonderful, but you have to give the books back,” Lucy said.
“For the children we help, having a book of their own is really important. They can dip in and out of it whenever they need comfort.”
She recalls one family who messaged recently to say a book had helped their children reconnect while grieving for a sibling. “That’s what it’s all about, helping families make memories together, even in the hardest times,” she said.
During Jude’s two years of treatment, the family spent almost half that time in hospital.
“We had to make the most of it,” Lucy said.
“The beauty was in the mundane, the everyday moments. You realise you don’t need more than the simple things in life.”
For other families spending long hours in hospital, Lucy wants books to provide a way to enjoy this time together and to make the most of ‘now’.
“Just because they’re in hospital doesn't make the time any less precious” she said.
Continuing in Jude’s memory
Since Jude passed away in September 2023, Lucy has continued the project he started.
“At first I hesitated,” she admitted. “But I know he would’ve wanted this and I don’t want him to be disappointed.”
She talked warmly about how far the project has come.
"Sometimes I like to think of it as Jude travelling with the books, his imagination and joy are still out there, touching people,” she said.
The charity’s Instagram page, @judeandthebookfactory, now has over 2,000 followers.
Locals can also donate children’s books through Le Biblioteka in Leah’s Yard, Hillsborough book store, or contribute directly via the Amazon wishlist linked on their social media pages.
“We’re not just trying to keep doing what we’ve done,” Lucy said.
“It’s about what other families want and need. Books helped us live as normally as possible during Jude’s treatment and we want other families to have that too.”