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.

To help celebrate the start of the 2023 Summer Reading Challenge, Ready Set Read, we are delighted to welcome Robin Bennett to the blog to discuss his own relationship with books, libraries, reading and sports.  Robin is the author of the wickedly witty Stupendous Sports series filled with fantastic facts  published by Firefly Press. 

I once went on a mini pilgrimage to Hull University – to the library, to be precise … or to the librarian, to be preciser.

‘I really like your work, Mr Larkin.’ I said – a little more formally than intended – all at once hoping I was addressing the poet himself and not some other tallish man in glasses.

He peered at me owlishly for a few moments then said, ‘Thank you … shhhh.’

As meeting your heroes goes, this is not quite as exciting as the time Alexi Sayle and I stopped a woman being attacked in a phone box in Soho but, still, I’m very fond of the library encounter. Not least because his reaction was completely in character, but also because it marked a time in my life when I finally started to fall in love with reading.

When I was younger, I had stoutly resisted all overtures to get me to pick up a book. This had mainly consisted of well-meaning relatives shoving copies of The Borrowers or Hornblower under my nose and saying things along the lines of, ‘try this, Robin, it’s really good.’

Nothing wrong with that approach but, between the ages of nought and eleven I couldn’t sit still, so the thought of sitting still AND reading for more than a few minutes was torture for me. I had nothing against being indoors, but I found that if I was outside, I was much less likely to get shouted at for being annoying, so outside it was.

This meant sport was my thing, long before reading.

When reading did take hold – a combination of moving to France, being friendless and French TV, which sucked in the 80’s – I was disappointed to discover that there was very little out there to read on sport. As in really read, not just dip into for tips and stats. So, I moved on to more literary sorts of literature, which is how I found myself standing about awkwardly in Hull Uni library a few years later.

Taking all this into consideration, when I grew up and became a writer, one of my goals, alongside finding a career that kept me out of trouble and (hopefully) not starving in a ditch, was to write books for children who don’t necessarily like reading.

Funny helps, as does short, as does illustrated. What is also effective are books that tell kids about other things they also like doing – and might even help them do it better. This is why I wanted to write the Stupendous Sports and why I’m so grateful to Firefly Press for making it possible – and to Matt Cherry for illustrating the books in the spirit they were intended.

We all know that in fiction children want to see a version of themselves and this is also very much the case with non-fiction.

The Summer Reading Challenge and the decision to make it about sports and activities this year is inspired: summer holidays and being outside – reading or running after a ball – go hand in hand. And sporty kids rise to a challenge.

Well, not just the kids, because I fully intend to get involved. For the launch of Cracking Cricket in August, I’m climbing up a mountain in the Pyrenees so I can hopefully bowl a ball in Spain, so someone can hit it in France and catch it in Andorra.

          This summer there’s a lot to look forward to!

So happy reading and happy playing.

A big thank you to Robin Bennett for the blog and to Graeme Williams for the opportunity.

We are delighted to welcome Patience Agbabi to the blog for an exciting interview and discussion around Poetry By Heart.  Patience was born in London in 1965 to Nigerian parents. She has been writing poetry for over twenty years, and is now writing for children too. The Infinite, the first in the Leap Cycle series, won a Wales Book of the Year Award and the series has an enthusiastic following amongst young readers. The third instalment, The Circle Breakers, is out now. Patience is also a judge on Poetry By Heart, the national poetry speaking competition for schools and colleges in England and in this interview explains why she recommends we all learn poetry by heart.

Could you describe your own first encounters with poetry – at home and at school? When did you first feel that poetry offered something special? Do you remember learning poems by heart?

My foster mum read to me every night as a young child so my earliest memory would be of hearing nursery rhymes and loving the sounds as well as the sense of them. Poetry at school came much later. It would have been early secondary and I remember loving the soundscapes again, as well as the shape it made on the page. I distinctly remember the teacher explaining iambic pentameter and understanding it instantly. I was lucky because quite a few of the pupils found it difficult – it seems to be the hardest technical device to grasp – and it actually opened up creative doors in my head. When we had to learn ‘The quality of mercy is not strained’ speech in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, I found it relatively easy because I was in tune with the iambic pentameter. I do think it’s important when learning a poem by heart that you get a choice. I was quite happy learning Shakespeare but I wasn’t your average kid.

You have always taken part in Spoken Word and live poetry performance – why is that so important to you and what do you see in audience responses?

I’m lucky to have had the gift of a very strong memory for learning poetry, even stronger when I’ve written it myself. I tend to write rhyming poetry which helps enormously with the mnemonics. My creative process involves revisiting lines over and over in order to generate subsequent lines. I hear them out loud in my head. That means by the time I get to the end of a poem, I know it. I could reproduce it on paper. Learning to deliver it fluently out loud takes a bit of rehearsal, much more as I get older! The spoken word and live poetry scene was very exciting for me. I feel privileged to have been living in London at the end of the last millennium as the scene was so vibrant, there was lots going on every week. I was initially inspired by hearing other poets perform. In the early days it was a mixture of African and Caribbean poets like Ahmed Sheikh, Merle Collins, Benjamin Zephaniah and Jean Binta Breeze. Then I also fell in love with the punk poetry of John Cooper Clarke, Joolz and Attila the Stockbroker. Then rap poets came on the scene. I could go on. I was inspired by them all and once I’d got over the crippling nerves, I loved the act of live performance, bouncing off the energy of the audience. In fact, I was less nervous performing off by heart because even though my voice was steady, my hand used to shake like crazy holding a piece of paper and I would find that distracting and worry the audience would be distracted too. Audiences always respond differently when someone is performing by heart. It seems more real; not having the pages there breaks down the barrier between poet and audience.

When did you first get involved with Poetry By Heart and why did you want to support the competition?

I was asked to judge the very first competition which was in 2013. I had to look up the date and I can’t believe it’s been around for a decade now. I instantly said yes because I think there’s something transformative about performing a poem out loud to a live audience. I liked that it asked young people to choose one poem pre-1900 and one post-1900. I’d always enjoyed poetry from previous eras but at the same time, loved contemporary poems. So I thought it would be a very good thing indeed to be involved in. I’ve judged quite a few written poetry competitions and I always find it excruciating to only be able to choose a few winners and runners up. There are always poems that don’t quite make it that are really good. But with Poetry By Heart, I know that every young person standing up on the stage is a winner. They will have gone through the process and had the chance to at least perform in front of their peers at school and if they were lucky and advanced further, a wider audience at the finals.

What do you most enjoy about being a judge for Poetry By Heart – could you describe the kind of performances you see and what the young people gain from the experience of performing at The Globe?

It is great to see young people take a poem by someone they’ve never met and make it their own. The best performances make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Since Covid, we’ve done the first stage of the judging from videos and that has worked surprisingly well. There is an intensity to the recordings, often done on mobile phones, that make you feel that person is performing directly for you. That said, it’s even better when I see the same poem on the big stage at the Globe. Then, the young people are performing in front of family and teachers and poet judges and the Poetry By Heart team; there is that communal buzz you can only get from live performance. The Globe is particularly good as a venue because it is both formal enough – designed for Shakespeare – but it’s also informal because it has that Groundling space at the front. That makes it very accessible. Mind you, it has been pretty hot the past couple of years so that front space has been a bit empty, people seeking out the shade, but I look forward to seeing a crowd a bit close to the stage this year!

Would you recommend that everyone learns poetry by heart and why?

Definitely. Because it’s fun and gives you confidence and instils a deep love of language and literature. And it also enables a reaching out to community. People generally learn poems so they can share them. They might savour them on their own tongue and lips but there is also a pure joy in lighting up someone’s life with a poem. The key thing is, it must be a poem that’s been chosen, not imposed. When someone chooses a poem, they choose it because it speaks to them. Even the process of finding such a poem is like finding a jewel, a linguistic gem that must be celebrated. I also think there’s something infectious about learning poetry by heart. When you see other people doing it, as I did, all those years ago in my early 20s, I wanted to do it too.

Book 3 in The Leap Cycle series of books for young readers is just out – what do you enjoy most about writing for young people in particular? Does your background as a poet have an impact on your writing?

There’s a point early on in Book 1, The Infinite, when my heroine states, ‘I LOVE words, the shape and the sound of them and how they feel on my tongue.’ Part of the impetus for writing for young people was wanting to celebrate the voice of my heroine, Elle. All the books are written in her voice, a first-person narrative. I created a main protagonist who loves poetry, on the page and out loud. In the sequel, The Time-Thief, Elle has won a poetry competition and eventually reads her poem out loud at, wait for it, a poetry salon at Dr Johnson’s house in the year 1752. It’s a time-travel series so I was able to create that scene. In the latest book, The Circle Breakers, anonymous notes are written in rhyming couplets and there is a spoken word Battle of the Beats in one of the earlier chapters. I’m currently working on the finale, Book 4, which includes scenes in a library called The Four Quartets. My poetry background totally fed the entire series. I could not have written it if I didn’t have a deep passion for poetry, both on the page but also out loud. Young people love hearing books read aloud. I’ve had a lot of feedback from teachers who have enjoyed reading The Leap Cycle books to their Year 5 and 6 classes. It feels like things have come full circle; my love of words came from hearing them being read aloud by my mum. Now I’m writing books for young people. Hopefully I’m inspiring some writers of the future.

The Circle Breakers is out now, published by Canongate, 9781838855796, £7.99, pbk and Poetry By Heart is open to all schools, primary and secondary, and colleges. To find out more visit the website or contact the team direct on info@poetrybyheart.org.uk or on 0117 905 5338.

Thank you to Patience for the interview and to Andrea Reece for the opportunity.

If you are interested in finding out about some of the hottest new books for children and young people publishing in 2023, connecting with 22 publishers, meeting an amazing array of authors ( including S.F. Said, Phil Earle, Carnegie Medal for Writing winner 2022 Katya Balen, Jenny Pearson and more!), signing up for free promotional materials or taking part in competitions and much more, the Children's Reading Partners Roadshow - run by The Reading Agency - is for you.  Details about how to sign up for you free place and what to expect in each session are below.

When: Wednesday 9 November from 9.15am - 3.15pm

Where: Zoom Webinar (link provided after registration). You need to register for each of the sessions you would like to attend as they have different log ins.

Session 1: 9.15 - 10.20am. The publishers presenting in this session are: Gecko Press, Usborne, Chicken House, Hachette Children's Group and Macmillan Children's Books. Register for session 1 here.

Session 2: 10.45 - 12.00pm. The publishers presenting in this session are: Andersen Press, Bloomsbury, Buster Books, Little Tiger, Rebellion Publishing and Welbeck Children's Books. Register for session 2 here.

Session 3: 12.45 - 1.55pm. The publishers presenting in this session are: Bonnier Books UK, b small Publishing, Faber & Faber, HarperCollins Children's Books, New Frontier Publishing and UCLan Publishing. Register for session 3 here.

Session 4: 2.15 - 3.15pm. The publishers presenting in this session are: David Fickling Books, Farshore, Nosy Crow and Simon & Schuster Children's Books.

Register for session 4 here.

The Reading Agency also run our Chatterbooks newsletter which regularly runs read and review campaigns for Children’s reading groups and offers free physical and digital resources and displays to school and public libraries as well as author visits. If you would like to hear more about our opportunities for librarians and teachers, you can sign up to our newsletter here.

We are delighted to welcome Joseph Namara Hollis to the blog.  Joseph has been named winner of the 2022 Klaus Flugge Prize which is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to picture book illustration. A graduate of the Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University, he won with his book Pierre’s New Hair, published by Tate Publishing, which tells the story of a bear obsessed with looking good but also desperate to show the world his roller-skating flair. Judge illustrator Emily Gravett said, ‘Pierre’s New Hair made me laugh out loud. What impressed me was the way that Joseph was able to conjure up a whole world for his characters to inhabit. It was our winner because we loved how every aspect of the book fitted together perfectly to make this a quirky fun book to read.’

Can you tell us about your route into illustration?

I’ve always drawn, including when I wasn’t meant to. A serial doodler. But it probably took until the end of a degree in Graphic Arts and Design at Leeds Met to realise I wanted to illustrate, or be an illustrator. Although I had been drawn towards it since studying arts foundation, I wasn’t truly aware what ‘illustration’ meant or that it was something I could do. It took several more years of experimentation to commit to the practice. Or understand what the practice might involve.

This was a lonely practice. Drawing in my makeshift studio between shifts as a support-worker, it sometimes felt like I was going against the grain.  Stark contrast to the atmosphere at Cambridge School of Art, when I began studying an MA in Children’s Book Illustration. That was a tremendously exciting time, surrounded by people with the same hopes and dreams, I knew I was in the right place. The end of the course marked the beginning of the journey to publication. The course’s final exhibition in London, trips to Bologna Children’s Book Fair (organised by Pam Smy and her team of volunteers), and illustration competitions (V&A Illustration Awards & the Macmillan Prize) gave me the opportunity to connect with publishers for the first time. But it would take several more years wrestling with my stories before I could find a way into the industry. During this leg of the journey, I had a partner (now my wife) who shared the same goals as me, so in a sense we were able to keep the team spirit (from Cambridge) alive.

On returning to England, we entered a Picture Hooks speed dating event and it was there, in Edinburgh that we first met (what would become) our illustration agency – Plum Pudding. I prepared work for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair for the third year, but this time with guidance from my agent, Hannah. I was delighted when she struck a deal with Tate Publishing. Hannah had helped me regain confidence writing, and editors Fay, and Emilia at Tate Publishing furthered this. It had been difficult developing the story beforehand (when things didn’t work out it often felt like a failure), but the process with Tate was most enjoyable. The perfect balance between freedom and support.

Are there any illustrators whose work and style have been particularly important or influential to you?

More illustrators than you can shake a stick at! I always mention Richard Scarry, whose work I adored as a child. On reflection his work has been a big influence. A favourite contemporary would be Bjorn Rune Lie, although the style is somewhat different there are parallels between the two. I’m attracted to the inventive characters, and the big worlds they build with intricate details. Wonderful! And witty. I can admire these for hours. And I intend to! – I’ve just ordered a Bjorn Rune Lie screen print!

Congratulations on winning the Klaus Flugge with 'Pierre's New Hair' it's a wonderfully energetic and fun book, can you tell us a little about how you created it?

It is difficult to keep track. I was working on it over the span of several years before working with Tate Publishing (and since having a baby my memory has eroded at an alarming rate).

The key ingredients, or tools would be my little red notebook. This is for the daily writing ritual. Anything goes! Write anything. And it is where the seeds of the idea were planted.

Then I threw myself directly into a tiny dummy book. The small size gave it a ‘throw-away’ nature, which helped relieve the potentially stifling pressure to make anything ‘important’. Playing with the page-turn helped coax the idea along into a sequence, forcing it to unfold page after page helped make it more like a ‘story’. That initial ‘idea bit’ happened fast and was exciting. I must be onto something here!

After that a much more drawn-out process began, wrestling with countless dummy books, experimenting with artwork, writing manuscripts, drawing flat plans, filling sketchbooks with drawings that explored how characters behave or thumbnailing how the sequence could evolve (in terms of page design and such). The story took many forms while this went on. It was often enjoyable, but certainly had its challenging phases (of doubt) too.

What does it mean to you winning the award and knowing that such a prestigious panel of judges selected 'Pierre's New Hair'?

I have great admiration for the judges, their decision fills me with gratitude. For me, it is permission. Permission to keep doing what sometimes feels nonsensical, uncertain, and impractical, whilst at the same time an absolute necessity.  I feel like I can enter the arena with them fighting my corner. It’ll give me momentum. Fearlessness. Which is extremely useful when wrestling with the creative forces!

The illustration and text combine to tell a wonderfully funny story.  Traditionally humour is often under-represented in prizes, how important are funny books?

We all need something to help lift our spirits. Something safe to retreat to and give us warmth. You won’t get that from the news, or social media. I love hibernating with books like The Wind in the Willows, The Day No One Was Angry and Skunk and Badger. Is it the anthropomorphism that makes these funny? I find it endearing, and those books certainly make me laugh.


The humour in Pierre’s New Hair is almost unintentional, it is more so a biproduct of trying to invest deeply in Pierre’s character. I don’t think there are jokes as such, instead personality injected bit by bit. Drawing after drawing. Curiosities emerge. Genuine interests seep in.  And this all ends up appearing funny, juxtaposed in an animal world. I’ve never really thought about it, but I’m sure if I tried more proactively to be funny, it would be a terrible experience. And involve more tears than laughter.

Do you have plans for what you will be working on next?

Quantum Physics (to clarify, I’m referring to illustrations for a quantum physics institute, I’m not intending to conduct any scientific experiments myself, no plans for a career change… yet) and a story about a miserable hedgehog.

I’m also keen to embark on entirely new ideas. Recently, I’ve been focusing a great deal of energy on raising my first child and teaching at university. But with the little one starting nursery and reducing my hours as a lecturer I’ll have more time to invest in my practice again. Play time! 

What would a dream commission be for you?

Every commission is a dream commission! Each project consumes so much energy, I wouldn’t take on anything that didn’t feel like a dream commission. There are far more efficient ways to pay the bills.

I’m excited about all elements of illustration and would like to stretch myself outside the area of children’s book illustration (although I’m not sure there are enough hours in the day). I wonder what happens when there are a different set of rules. It might be exciting to explore some ideas that are less child friendly.

However, perhaps more urgently, I want to keep exploring my own ideas as a children’s picture book maker and see how far I can push those boundaries. There’s so much to learn.

The winner of the Klaus Flugge traditionally goes on to judge the award the year after they have won.  Is there anything you'd particularly like to see among the contenders when you are a judge?

A great picture book will lead you on an unexpected journey, an element of surprise can be captivating. With that in mind, I’ll try to avoid going in search of something specific and let the books lead the way.

When an artist is lost in the moment wonderfully authentic things happen. It’s thrilling to see someone embrace spontaneity and take risks with their work. It’s great to see moments of unfiltered passion. Moments might be the keyword because those moments need to be cradled carefully to communicate eloquently. Light and shade (or yin and yang) add depth to a story. It’s wonderful when a picture book attains that ‘perfect’ balance.

A huge thank you to Joseph Namara Hollis for the fantastic interview and to Andrea Reece and the Klaus Flugge Prize for the opportunity!

Gallery images: 

One - Showing the cover rough and final cover image for 'Pierre's New Hair'

Two - An early rough

Three - Cover image for 'Not in the Mood'

Four - spreads from 'Pierre's New Hair'

Five - photograph of Klaus Flugge Prize winner Joseph Namara Hollis holding award

Six - Klaus Flugge with 2022 winner Joseph Namara Hollis and judges