Coming to England

First published more than twenty years ago and as resonant now as it was then, Floella Benjamin’s story of her journey from one way of life in Trinidad to another in London is a brilliant memoir that also speaks to universal experiences of children coming to the UK. Benjamin’s upbeat personality infuses the story and gives hope without diminishing the challenge of assimilation. – Julia Eccleshare * Guardian *

Floella Benjamin was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad in 1949, and came to England in 1960 as part of the Windrush generation. She has enjoyed a successful career as a children’s presenter, best known for the iconic BBC TV programmes Play School and Play Away, and has also worked as an actress, writer, producer, working peer and an active advocate for the welfare and education of children. Her broadcasting work has been recognized with a Special Lifetime Achievement BAFTA and an OBE. She was appointed a Baroness in the House of Lords in 2010 and a Dame in the 2020 New Year Honours list, and is the Chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee. Her childhood memoir Coming to England was originally published in 1996 to great acclaim, and in 2020 it was published as a picturebook, bringing Floella’s hopeful and uplifting story to a whole new generation of readers.

Joelle Avelino is a Congolese and Angolan London based Illustrator. She graduated from the University Of Hertfordshire with a BA (Hons) in Illustration with Marketing degree in 2012. She works with both traditional and digital methods of drawing and painting to create her vibrant and distinctive illustrations. She is greatly inspired by phenomenal women, everyday life and her African heritage particularly. Having grown up in the UK, Joelle aims to bring these two worlds together through her work.