Coming to England: An Inspiring True Story Celebrating the Windrush Generation

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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. Bursting onto the stage with music, storytelling and humour, Floella Benjamin’s award-winning and iconic book Coming to England comes to life in this world premiere stage adaptation. 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.

When Floella left school she went to work in a bank, but what she really wanted to do was show business - acting and singing in front of an audience, either on TV or in a theatre. Floella went on to appear in many different shows, and when she was 27 years old Floella became one of the presenters of a children's TV show called Play School . It's one of the most popular children's TV programmes ever! is reviewed between 08.30 to 16.30 Monday to Friday. We're experiencing a high volume of enquiries so it may take us 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. Who is the main character in the story? How would you describe them? Why do you like that character? Coming 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.

Floella wrote a book called Coming to England . What was the book about? (Floella's journey to England and her experiences after she arrived) The Library's buildings remain fully open but some services are limited, including access to collection items. We're Floella was the first person in this country to appear on TV with beads in her hair, but Floella didn't just appear in children's TV shows, she started making them as well - which means that as well as being on the TV herself, it became her job to help other people also appear on TV. 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. Discussion. Talk about the many different jobs that Floella has done: actress, author, businesswoman, politician, writer of children’s books, presenter and singer. Which of those jobs do the children think they would like to do - and why? What sort of person is able to do lots of different jobs?

Adapted for the stage by David Wood (“the national children’s dramatist” – The Times) this vibrant and energetic musical is the perfect entertainment for the whole family. In 1960, at the age of 10, Floella moved here to the United Kingdom. She says she did not feel welcome in the UK and that she found it really hard to fit in.As well as being a writer, can you remember any of the other jobs Floella has had? (Singer, actor, TV presenter and TV producer, writer of children's books, businesswoman, politician)

Baroness Floella Benjamin is an actress, author, businesswoman, politician, writer of children’s books, TV presenter and singer. She was born in Trinidad but moved to the United Kingdom when she was 10 years old. She has talked about the racism that she experienced while growing up in the UK and how she found it hard to fit in. She is well-known as a presenter of children's TV programmes, such as Play School , Play Away and Fast Forward . 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. 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. Floella says her mother was also very special to her and always told Floella that trying hard at school was very important. All upcoming public events are going ahead as planned and you can find more information on our events blogDiscussion. Floella has written about how she did not feel welcome when she arrived in the UK and how she did not feel like she fitted in. Discuss with the children how they think Floella must have felt. Discuss how your school community seeks to welcome a new child. (You might refer to the school's stated values or ethos.) What do you think may have changed in Floella's life to make her feel welcome? 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. 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.