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

Product Information

If you do not know about Floella Benjamin, here is a great way to meet her. By reading her book, Coming to England, you really get to know her large family. 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. When you arrive in England from abroad you do not need to take any COVID-19 tests or fill in a UK passenger locator form. We will only use names that have been officially designated by the National Weather Service in the US. Do other countries around the world use a similar system?

What is the book about? A little girl from Trinidad moves to England to be with her family in LondonWas the plot exciting, thought-provoking, serious or light-hearted (or any mixture of these)?At first it was sad because Floella’s dad had to leave. Then their mum left and they were babysat by their evil aunt. It was happy when the family got together again. The author has many problems. She moves from colourful Trinidad to a dull England to join her Marmie and Dardie who went to London for work. She feels unwelcome, she doesn’t know what an escalator or a telephone is for. She experiences discrimination. Her ambition is to meet the Queen. She works hard to settle in her new home. One day, she achieves her dream! Now she works to help other people at the House of Lords. Which of the characters (if any) you did not like. Why?The mean aunt. She did not let Floella and Sandra play. If you began your journey in Ukraine, you do not need to complete a passenger locator form, or take a COVID-19 test before travel to England or on arrival. We spoke to her about how she did it and why it's so important to get stories for children right...

Which of the characters (if any) did you dislike and why? I didn’t like the children who were unkind to Floella. Teenage rebels": Cane Warriors author Alex Wheatle on writing about young people living through incredible events Did you enjoy the book? Explain your answer if it is yes or no.Yes. Moving to England was not easy.The book told me about the British Empire and about why people came to England from the other side of the world. I empathised with Floella’s worries about moving somewhere new with new people. It must have been hard too, to cope with the change of climate. London was cold and the people were cold as well. Being happy with her family again, helped her cope with the discrimination, she settled in and it felt like home. 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. We receive thousands of suggestions throughout the year from the public and this years list hasbeen compiled from these public suggestions, plus suggestions from Met Éireann andKNMI, choosing some of the more popular names and names that reflect the diversity of the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. What does climate change mean for storms?

When Floella grew up, she met the Queen. She became a Dame. Today she works as a politician at the House of Lords, trying to influence all our lives for the better. Everyone should read her inspiring story. South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe will move onto the red list at 12.00 midday Friday 26 November. A temporary flight ban will be in place and all travellers who have been in these countries must quarantine and take tests. What is the book about? A little girl from Trinidad moves to England to be with her family in London. A little girl called Floella. Which of the characters did you find most interesting? Why?Floella’s father. I have never read a book where the father wants to be a jazz musician. What made the history or the time it was set in interesting to you?Yes. I live in England but the story was set way before I was born.I love the illustrator’s vibrant colours in the book when Floella’s talking about Trinidad and the way the colours change in England. Her changing schools’ moment is something I can empathise with. Stories of Joy and Hope: share your story to win a school visit from our Writer in Residence Smriti Halls They will need to have taken a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency, or US Food and Drug Administration

Floella was a hard working person who was brave enough to travel across time zones, spending fifteen days on a boat, whilst doing a handful of chores. As her boat arrived at Southampton from Trinidad, she wanted to be a welcomed visitor but London wasn’t very welcoming. She was confused by the fast underground trains and moving staircases but worse than that, people weren’t very kind. She persevered though. Eventually she settled in, and made good friends at school. If you will arrive in England after 4am, Friday 18 March, you do not need to take any COVID-19 tests or fill in a UK passenger locator form. 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. I loved the colourful illustrations showing life in Trinidad and less colourful ones in England. I would recommend this book to everyone: 10 out of 10. Which of the characters (if any) did you dislike and why?Jacob said he didn’t like Mardie because “she left the children behind.”Would you recommend it to other children?Yes. Floella was bullied by her classmates but later she became friends with them. Floella’s illustrator, Diane Ewen, shades the differences between Trinidad and London, showing Floella’s inner life and making things visual for her readers. There are lots of new things for everyone to learn about: Trinidad, the House of Lords and the British Empire. As her dad wanted to be a Jazz musician, I learnt about the music side of things too! I think Coming to England is a great book. The story tells us about the author, Floella Benjamin’s troubles, as she perseveres and one day meets the Queen.