French began writing "Rain Stones", her first book for children, when she was 30 years old, living in a shed and in need of money to register her car. Her editor said it was the messiest and worst-spelt manuscript ever submitted (partly because Jackie was dyslexic, but also because the letter 'E' on her typewriter wasn't working because of droppings left on her keyboard by a wombat), but the book ended up being shortlisted for the Children's Book Council of Australia award for the and the NSW Premier's Award.