I love the way BookTrust gives books to all children and parents. That is so important. Before a child can read the words, a picture is telling the story and connections are being made - for life. Children are connecting all the time and they are seeing things for the first time, and that's why it's such a responsibility to get things right. In spite of the initial cruelty, the Windrush Generation's values of hard-work, empathy and respect contributed significantly to making Britain one of the most tolerant multi-cultural societies in the world. The reasons of creativity as to why people were moving out of Trinidad to England are fascinating and England seemed perfect for creating styles of music, such as Jazz etc that weren't so popular in Trinidad. The memoir takes readers on a real journey of life and even to the crossing of the sea, which is great, I was glad this wasn't missed out as it seems so pivitol and adds more to the story, instead of just landing in England without this part and I think children will be able to also feel the excitement (as I do, thinking of this book as a child might), for the family to make it across the sea safely. The atmosphere really comes through and carries the story across those waves and onto the train when the ship meets the land. The book is truthful and shows those natural anxieties during the trip. Owl or Pussycat? How Michael Morpurgo and Polly Dunbar find their inspiration in childhood memories With a brilliantly coherent foreward, that is a Must Read, (I say because I know that some people skip over these parts and miss a great deal), it gives an insight for what's to come, with some of the history and circumstances laid out. The entire book is hugely interesting and many children will be able to relate to so many aspects themselves or learn so much from it and will (hopefully) see that moving can be challenging, especially to a different country and what can be faced and also how challenges can be overcome. They will also (hopefully) learn that humans, whatever their race etc don't need to be mean to each other (putting it politely) and learn tolerance and also learn something about the Windrush Generation. It is a book that may inspire and is written in such a way that children will be able to get into easily and understand immediately and may prompt curiosity and questions and thoughts. Floella Benjamin, with her new foreward proves she's still got it when it comes to children and young people, to reach out to them and their level.

They've all seen the Queen, and we had to find an element of how the story can come good, to give people hope. So it was lovely to have the story of me dreaming about meeting the Queen as a young girl, and then eventually meeting her at the end with my Mum and Dad looking on so proudly. I had to go through bad times, but I feel my life is a happy ending so I needed to give the book a happy ending. Those were the stepping stones I used to get through the book, and leave everything else aside. The book has also been been adapted into a BBC film, which can be a treat for well behaved children at the end of the day/week/term. It was important to have someone who has gone through some aspect of what I was writing. When you have that personal experience, it's great to get an opportunity to share it with society through a book and make a difference. Floella Benjamin is a much-loved writer, actress and presenter, who was made a Baroness in the House of Lords in 2010 and is an ambassador for the welfare and education of children. This moving and insightful memoir documents her childhood, from her birth in Trinidad in 1949 to her move to Britain in 1960 as part of the Windrush generation, and explores how these experiences have shaped her life.This moving tale not only explores a key part of British history from a child’s perspective, but also highlights the importance of celebrating diversity and welcoming new people into the community. It is an inspirational read for children who may have had similar experiences and is ideal to encourage compassion and tolerance in young people. This edition is accompanied by vibrant watercolour illustrations which help bring the tale to life. Don't forget, childhood lasts a lifetime. Each child is born with one hundred billion brain cells and they are starting to be connected when the child is 18 months. Picture books formulate their ideas and those connections with what they are seeing and hearing - and that affects the make-up of who they will be as adults. Written through the eyes of Floella Benjamin as a child, this autobiography tells the story of her family's move from their West Indian home in Trinidad to the "Mother Country", England. Her story reflects that of many West Indians in the 1950s/ 60s - known as the 'Windrush Generation', who moved for a better life, encouraged to help Britain rebuild itself after the second world war. Sadly, local people failed to welcome them, inflicting racially-incited cruelty, such that West Indians created their own separate communities. You look at it holistically. I had to think very carefully about what I wanted very young children to know and grasp. Some of them know about moving to a new place, so they can understand the concept of moving. Some of them know about parents leaving, even if it's for a couple of weeks, so they know the emotional feeling that gives you.

Coming to England is such a popular book that it seemed a great idea to make a picture book version so younger children can enjoy it too. People might think it's easy writing a picture book, but it's not, especially when you've got quite a complicated real life story such as Coming to England. Some of Coming to England is really upsetting, particularly the racism you experienced. How did you decide what to leave out in the picture book, and what to keep in to tell the same, but slightly different, story? It's perfect for bookcases everywhere and in classrooms. Teachers and children's group leaders could easily find creative ways of using this book, there's so much scope to be inspired from it to teach children of Trinidad through the memoir, the carnival, the food. There's also a lot of discussion about different topics that come through in the book too. It is as relevant then as it is for today's generation. Coming To England is Timeless! Readers get to know a little of Dame Floella Benjamin's brothers and sister - Ellington, Sandra and Lester whose mother they call Marmie, in affectionate terms, who met Dardie aged 19, all of which I think is just lovely. The memoir starts with Life in Trinidad and it feels quite uplifiting in some ways and warm. There is much enjoyment for children to get their teeth into and so much knowledge to be gained about food and other parts of the culture. No matter where you're from, whatever your culture, it shows that some things are the same the world over, such as baking. This is one of the beauties of this book, it starts off showing that there are similarities in life, after all, who doesn't at the very least, like cake or ice cream? It has such a positive feel to it for children to read about that is heartwarming as it will make it easy then for children to warm to it. Then there's school life, so some of this will be familiar to children too, although there are some changes, but this is where it's interesting for children, and it was for me growing up too, as I grew up without the fear of the belt, whipping down on me, but in the 60's, 70's this seemed more like the norm. It's got to be inspirational, beautiful and perfect. If you tell a story, it's got to be the best. Because remember, whatever they get first will stay with them forever.

Children should be of all cultures in stories because that's the society we live in, and this is especially true of picture books. With non-illustrated books for older children you can imagine what you like. But in a picture book you must spell it out.

There is the fun and spectacle at the carnival and there are some great illustrations of this, as there are throughout the book. Between that and church life, children will be able to see the British (and other countries) influences. Is this picture book version the kind of book you dreamt about reading when you were on Play School?There are plenty of adjective rich descriptions of family, festivals and food in the Caribbean; children can marvel at discovering pigeon peas, cassava, dasheen and saltfish. A vibrant, evocative memoir from a familiar face as I was growing up, beautifully illustrated throughout with Michael Frith's watercolours. This is a short book, so you can rattle through the chapters; half concerned with Floella's upbringing and family of five siblings in Trinidad, and the other with her arrival and need for 'survival' in England, which was very different to her ideal of 'falling into the arms of someone you had been taught to love'. I do a lot of prison visits and when I talk to prisoners they often say, 'When I was a child this happened to me.' I've realised children's minds get affected at a very young age with happy things, sad things, traumatic and joyful things. So the picture books that young children are seeing are vital. We spoke to her about how she did it and why it's so important to get stories for children right... Stories of Joy and Hope: share your story to win a school visit from our Writer in Residence Smriti Halls

Coming to England is an autobiographical account of Benjamin’s experiences of moving from Trinidad to England as a young child in 1960. Illustrations are provided by Michael Frith, which bring the scenes, settings and cultural contrasts into focus for the reader. The book vividly describes Benjamin’s family life in Trinidad where she brings the beautiful scenery and the rich culture to life. We then follow Benjamin as she and her siblings’ journey across the sea to England, where she presents an unsettling account of her experiences. The book discusses the racism she encountered from classmates, teachers, shopkeepers, and wider society, and starkly portrays the impact this had on her as a child, while discussing how she was able to overcome and thrive from adversity. Benjamin considers the impacts of colonialism, national identity, and racism in post-war society all from the eyes of a young child. Coming to England was first published in 1996, and since then has been adapted by the BBC for television, was added to the national curriculum list of educational titles in 2003, and in 2020 has been re-adapted into a picture book for younger children. Coming to England has been used frequently by teachers to introduce the topic of racism in Britain to younger children. The book sensitively, yet very truthfully explores and examines the theme from the eyes of a child, and is therefore excellent to use in the classroom as it brings to light an important issue that some children might otherwise be unaware of. Wrigglers, wanderers, stampers and shy children... reading different stories to different listenersComing to England is great for Middle-Grade readers and is being re-released. She first wrote it over 20 years ago and then it was published again in 2016 and now on 15th April, it is ready for this new generation of children to enjoy and is a very special 25th Anniversary Edition you can buy now. No, it was always an autobiographical story. In fact, when I wrote it at first it was twice as long and had to be edited to be so much shorter. So I didn't conceive it as a picture book until now. When you first wrote Coming to England did you think of writing a picture book, as this was the age of children to whom you devoted the early part of your career? It was a great collaboration and I'd love to write another book with Diane! When I look at illustrations I've got to get a warm feeling, and that's what Diane's do. Floella writes eloquently about growing up on a Caribbean island with her parents and five siblings, wonderfully evoking a sense of sunshine, love and laughter. She also speaks candidly of the hostile reception she receives on arrival in Britain, where she is seen as a colour rather than a person, and shows great resilience, determination and courage when facing this discrimination.