We are delighted to welcome Shelina Janmohamed, author and commentator, to the blog to explore approaches for considering and discussing the British Empire and the role this has played in global history and the impact it has on children’s lives today.  This is a fascinating blog and a powerful story that impacts upon all of us.


The British Empire was the biggest empire in history. Ever. Bigger than the Roman Empire. Bigger than the Incas, Mayas, Aztecs, Mughal, Ottoman, Malian, Mamluk… well, you get the picture. It was REALLY BIG. Bigger than any other country, empire, kingdom, sultanate or dynasty. Ever.

The British Empire affected everything. Not only did it affect everything then, it still affects so many of our lives in big and small ways today. 

Yet, while we teach our children about the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians and other empires, the biggest, wealthiest, most powerful and most influential empire in the history of ever – the British Empire is not even currently officially on the school curriculum, and we don’t have the resources to talk about it with nuance and complexity. In fact, when I started writing it in 2020 there were barely any children’s books at all about the British Empire!  I wanted to change that. 

That’s because the British Empire didn't just affect countries over there. It affected everything about the islands we live on today, including our four nations. It affected everything and still does, from the language we speak, to the food we eat, to the buildings that surround us, to the people who live here, to the prosperity we enjoy, to who gets to have power, wealth and influence, to how we shape our future. 

Growing up I wasn’t taught anything about the British Empire. A big fat zero. So, I’ve written the book I wish I’d had as a kid to help children make sense of the world and find their own stories in it whatever their background. Kids don’t need culture wars, they need conversations.

My aim has been to stand in children’s shoes to see the world as it matters to them – everything from the heated debates around then, to climate change, technology, migration, social and racial equality, global relationships and big businesses. And I’ve told it through the stories of children like them, so they can hear the voices of kids through the ages and around the world. I’ve told the stories of children during the British Empire like the home children, the kids who took part in the anti-slavery sugar boycotts and the brave ones of the Industrial Revolution whose testimony changed labour laws; and more. So kids can see how their stories matter. 

And while it’s of course a deeply serious subject, I’ve worked hard to make it approachable, engaging, packed with facts and puzzles, aiming to bring it to life, and make it interactive with quizzes and posing questions for them to solve. But most of all, I’ve centred them: a book written from scratch for children so children can make sense of the world. 

Which is why Story of Now has the strapline “This is not a history book, this is the story of now”. And it’s also why the language and direction are about how to apply topics that cover everything from corporations, consumerism, technology, women’s rights to climate change and children’s protests and power. 

As one child told me, it’s a book that isn’t just about what happened, it’s a book that teaches you how to think! 

What would you answer to these?

• If you had 7 million pounds to set up a company what would it do?
  
  This was the amount for the East India Company, and it shaped an entire empire!
  

• Should businesses have their own country, army and currency?

• What can we learn from Francis Drake and his imperialism to help us in the new frontiers in galactic and digital space?

• If you ran a branding agency, how would you create Brand Britain?
  

• How can you talk to friends, family and elderly relatives like grandparents to find out your own Empire story?

• How British is the great British cuppa?
  

Here are some of the activities prompted by the book:

• How can you find your own story and map your history
  

• Explore your local history and surroundings

• Shine a spotlight on specific geographic areas

• Discuss ways to exercise children's power and process using examples from the British Empire
  

• Help children understand the experiences of others, and how they connect with their own
  
  
  

In writing the book, I’ve tried to be mindful of the challenges facing teachers, educators, schools, families, libraries and librarians when it comes to a topic often described as ‘controversial’ or ‘complicated’ or even ‘woke’.  That’s why I’ve taken the approach that this about every child whatever their background, finding their own story.

Even adults struggle. When I talk to grown-ups it amazes me that people will say something like, “well I’d never thought about the British Empire because it’s nothing to do with me…”. And I ask, well where are you from? Birmingham? Liverpool? Scotland? Bristol? the London docklands? I want every child to see their story and how they are woven together, how they connect.  Because one of the greatest gifts a child can give themselves is knowing their own story. This connectivity is key.

We are seeing a growing number of books that speak specifically to a specific group of readers, and that’s important, highlighting their particular experiences.

But sometimes we also need for those experiences to be contextualised as one of many, to show variation as the norm, rather than silos and buckets.

And perhaps most notably, we can sometimes run into the problem that certain subjects are seen as for 'specific' or 'problem' or 'underrepresented' groups, which leaves everyone else feeling like it's not for them, not relevant or worse not their responsibility. It also underscores the issue of 'norm' and abnorm. It can feel heavy if a book shines a spotlight on you as a child in a group setting. Instead, I want every child to see their story and how they are woven together, how they connect. 

So, what do you do when one of the biggest topics ever - and one which is constantly discussed and shaping our huge social conversation - doesn't include children, and doesn't support families, schools and libraries with materials? And one that feels pressing, urgent and important but isn’t even on the school curriculum? That’s the dilemma I’ve set out to solve, and I hope it helps fill this woeful gap. AND bring a new fresh perspective to the wider debate. 

So, if you need to give a book or a recommendation, you know this is one that all kids will find themselves in - what's not to love about stories of pirates, space travel, huge protests, children's boycotts not to mention that at the beginning I even challenge whether history even exists?!

Heck, why not even recommend it to adults and parents. I think all of us could do with understanding the world a bit better!

Thank you to Shelinha Janmohamed for such a thought-provoking and impactful blog.