Dame Jacqueline Wilson's books have been a massive part of many people's childhoods.
She has produced books for more than three decades of readers, but says today's children "feel more worried" than before.
She also says that while children are still avid bookworms, adults would rather be "glued to their smartphones".
Dame Jacqueline is being awarded the Special Award at the Bafta Children's ceremony on Sunday.
Dame Jacqueline started her career as a journalist for DC Thomson in Scotland and was one of the founders of Jackie magazine.
She then went on to dedicate herself to writing children's novels.
Many of Dame Jacqueline's books - like The Story of Tracy Beaker, Girls in Love and The Illustrated Mum - have been adapted into TV series and films.
Her latest series of books, Hetty Feather, was made into a West End musical and nominated for an Olivier Award.
Dame Jacqueline says when adaptations of her work win awards, she feels like a "fairy godmother". But winning a Bafta herself came as a complete - but very pleasant - surprise.
"I'm the lucky one because I know I'm getting the award," she says of Sunday's ceremony.
"Everyone else will be tense because they've been nominated and I can be serene whilst drinking my wine."
"My books show what it's like to be an odd one out"
When other children's fiction authors were writing about wizards, teenage secret agents and Ancient Greek demi-gods, Dame Jacqueline was writing about bullying, abusive parents and the care system.
Readers could not help but become fully engrossed in the lives of her characters.
While it's probably something she's heard many times before, Dame Jacqueline reacts with gratitude when told that her books have helped children come to terms with what's going on in their lives.
Her books, like The Suitcase Kid, which focused on a young girl caught between her parents fighting a bitter divorce, could provide solace for an upset child or one with a friend in the same position, she says.
"I don't try to write as an adult and tell them what to do," she says. "I think that chimes with children and helps them understand, even if they haven't had problems. It shows what's it like to be an odd one out or have a disadvantage.
"They are books that are lovely to be read aloud but also by yourself in private
