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

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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.

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.

Bookworms

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. 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! Who is the main character in the story? How would you describe them? Why do you like that character? Floella has done so many jobs in her life. She's an actress, singer, businesswoman, politician, TV presenter and writer of children's books. Wow! Discussion. 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?

All upcoming public events are going ahead as planned and you can find more information on our events blog In 1995 Floella wrote a book all about herself called Coming to England . It describes her journey as a child from Trinidad in the Caribbean all the way to England in the UK. It's a story about what it's like to arrive somewhere new and feel very different from everyone else. The Library's buildings remain fully open but some services are limited, including access to collection items. We're 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.Floella's dad was a musician who played the saxophone in a jazz band and when Floella was a teenager she started singing in the band, which she loved. Floella says her mother was also very special to her and always told Floella that trying hard at school was very important. 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.

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)

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. There is a transforming moment when Benjamin turns away from anger and embraces positivity in response to race hate, but this comes in a heavily message-bound ending. There are occasional invitations for audience participation – we sing “If you’re happy and you know it” and we stamp our feet. This brings fun for kids and nostalgia for adults but it is not enough to power the drama on. What is needed is greater pace, deeper emotion, more detail and much more story. 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.

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. 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?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. 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!