'Windrush Child'

Benjamin Zephaniah

CLICK HERE TO BUY THIS BOOK

Benjamin Zephaniah is a British writer and Dub poet whose work often contains the language and rhythms of his Jamaican heritage.

Born in Birmingham, Zephaniah moved to London in 1980 and his debut poetry collection was published the same year. He became a prolific and highly acclaimed performance poet, whose work frequently touched on themes of political injustice, releasing more volumes of vibrant and accessible ‘street poetry’ in the late 80s and early 90s. His first collection of verse for children, Talking Turkeys, came out in 1995 and went into emergency reprint due to its unexpected success, whilst his debut Young Adult novel Face was published to critical acclaim four years later.

A committed Rastafarian, vegan and political activist, he has also written plays, acted in film and television productions and recorded numerous reggae records.

Synopsis

This is the story of Leonard, who at 10 years old makes the journey with his mother from Jamaica to join his father in England. Leonard is part of the Windrush generation, one of thousands of people and families who were persuaded by the government to help rebuild England after the Second World War and make a better life for themselves.

In addition to his meticulous research of the period, Benjamin Zephaniah draws on his own experience of growing up in Britain in the 1960s to describe the difficulties Leonard and his family face: the freezing English weather, the awful food, the extremely unwelcoming people. The story begins by focusing on Leonard’s childhood, but follows him all the way to 2018 when he is denied citizenship in the country he has lived in all his life - a tragic example of the Windrush scandal.

This is a brilliant and important book from one of the UK's greatest poets and writers. He gets under Leonard's skin as he illustrates his life from a young boy to a devastated man in his 70s, and shows us that history is a continuum - it's about real people who in this case are still feeling the impact of the scandal. We’re all part of the story.

A book to make children and adults alike think hard about our history, about racism and the Black Lives Matter movement, about fairness, about politics - and also about bravery and unsung heroes.

If you liked 'Windrush Child', you may like to read...

read about: 'funky chickens'

Rap poet, musician and writer Benjamin Zephaniah’s second poetry collection for older children, Funky Chickens, was first published in 1996.

Rooted in the real world, these funny, touching, thought-provoking poems cover a diverse range of topics. In "Serious Love", a schoolboy falls desperately in love with the girl who sits beside him. But the next day, he wants to marry her friend! "All You Sea" campaigns to clear up the sewage in the oceans, while "Good Hope" suggests there is enough good in the world for everyone to live without prejudice, starvation and war. Zephaniah tackles difficult subjects such as animal cruelty in "Danny the Cat" and racism in "Walking Black Home", where no taxi stops for him because of his colour.

Running through every lip-smacking poem is the poet’s joy at the richness of language and the fun that a little imagination and a fat pencil can create, all summed up in the exuberant last poem "Funky Chicken".

read about: 'now or never'

Narrated by Private Fazal Khan, a young Muslim soldier in Company 32 of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps, this is a moving and insightful account of a key event in the Second World War. Fifteen-year-old Fazal runs away from his family in northern India and lies about his age to join up and serve the British Empire, just as his grandfather did during World War I. His role is to look after the mules used to carry supplies to the front line, which he performs with diligence and pride.

Fazal’s romantic views of duty, loyalty and honour are challenged when he arrives in France during the freezing winter of 1939 and experiences the harsh realities of war. Despite the sacrifices made by members of Company 32, not everyone treats them as equals, which becomes shockingly apparent as they await evacuation at Dunkirk.

Voices is a thought-provoking series of stories based on true events, aiming to highlight the valuable and often overlooked contribution made by immigrants to Britain throughout history. Written by a range of highly regarded children’s authors, these tales bring different historical periods to life for a young audience.

read about: 'the night bus hero'

From Onjali Q. Rauf, the award-winning and best-selling author of The Boy at the Back of the Class, comes another incredible story, told with humour and heart.

Told from the perspective of a bully, this book explores themes of homelessness, while celebrating kindness, friendship and the potential everyone has to change for the good.

Inspired by Onjali's own childhood experiences of growing up in London and seeing the impact of homelessness on those around her, The Night Bus Hero follows an unlikely friendship between our narrator and Thomas - who lives in the park.

Can they get to the bottom of some unusual thefts taking place across the city, and discover what it takes to be a real hero?

Page updated

Report abuse