Benjamin Zephaniah

The UK's top Young Adult authors join together in this collection of new stories and poems on the theme of home. Contributors include: Tom Becker, Holly Bourne, Sita Brahmachari, Kevin Brooks, Melvin Burgess, Katy Cannon , Cat Clarke, Juno Dawson, Julie Mayhew, Non Pratt, Marcus Sedgwick, Lisa Williamson and Benjamin Zephaniah. �1 from the sale of every book will be donated to Crisis, the national homelessness charity. To find out more about Crisis, see www.crisis.org.uk

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Alem, the product of an Ethiopean father and Eritrean mother, is left alone in London, his fate resting in the hands of the Refugee Council and the British justice system. This story charts Alem's fate as he is moved from children's home to foster family, and in and out of court hearings.

Refugee Boy

*BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week* Benjamin Zephaniah, who has travelled the world for his art and his humanitarianism, now tells the one story that encompasses it all: the story of his life. In the early 1980s when punks and Rastas were on the streets protesting about unemployment, homelessness and the National Front, Benjamin’s poetry could be heard at demonstrations, outside police stations and on the dance floor. His mission was to take poetry everywhere, and to popularise it by reaching people who didn’t read books. His poetry was political, musical, radical and relevant. By the early 1990s, Benjamin had performed on every continent in the world (a feat which he achieved in only one year) and he hasn’t stopped performing and touring since. Nelson Mandela, after hearing Benjamin’s tribute to him while he was in prison, requested an introduction to the poet that grew into a lifelong relationship, inspiring Benjamin’s work with children in South Africa. Benjamin would also go on to be the first artist to record with The Wailers after the death of Bob Marley in a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela. The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah is a truly extraordinary life story which celebrates the power of poetry and the importance of pushing boundaries with the arts.

The Autobiography

The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah

'My name is Jackson Jones. I stood and watched a teacher die . . . I didn't panic, I just froze. My whole body actually went numb. They say the brain is like a computer - well, my computer crashed.'

Teacher's Dead

A teenage boy's face is disfigured in an automobile accident, and he must learn to deal with the changes in his life.

Face

City Psalms was Benjamin Zephaniah's first collection from Bloodaxe back in 1992. It includes some of his best-known poems, including 'Dis Poetry', 'Money' and 'Us and Dem'. Best known for his performance poetry with a political edge for adults - and his poetry with attitude for children - Zephaniah has his own rap/reggae band. He has produced numerous recordings, including Dub Ranting (1982), Rasta (1983), Us and Dem (1990), Back to Roots (1995), Belly of de Beast (1996) and Naked (2004). He was the first person to record with the Wailers after the death of Bob Marley, in a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela, which Mandela heard while in prison on Robben Island. Their later meetings led to Zephaniah working with children in South African townships and hosting the President's Two Nations Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1996. His first book of poems, Pen Rhythm, was produced in 1980 by a small East London publishing cooperative, Page One Books. His second collection, The Dread Affair, was published by Hutchinson's short-lived Arena imprint in 1985. He has since published three collections with Bloodaxe, City Psalms (1992), Propa Propaganda (1996) and Too Black Too Strong (2001), the latter including poems written while working with Michael Mansfield QC and other Tooks barristers on the Stephen Lawrence case. To Do Wid Me, filmed by Pamela Robertson-Pearce (Bloodaxe Books, 2013), includes a full-length feature film on DVD with all the poems performed on the film included in the book.

City Psalms

When teenage Ray and his two friends, Prem and Tyronne, form a successful rap band in the London's East End where they live, they soon find themselves embroiled in increasingly violent gang warfare.

Gangsta Rap

Funky Chickens

Despite his best efforts to stay on the right side of the law, Rico is angry and frustrated at the injustices he sees happening at home and around the world. He wants to do something - but what? When he is approached by Speech, a mysterious man who shares his hacktivist interests, Rico is given the perfect opportunity to speak out about injustice. After all, what harm can a peaceful cyber protest do.

Terror Kid

A collection of twenty-two new "radical rapper" poems concerned with the care and non-exploitation of all species.

The Little Book of Vegan Poems

Bejamin Zephaniah is one of Britain's most popular poets. In his first new book of poems for five years, he addresses the problems of black Britain more forcefully than in previous books.

Too Black, Too Strong

What is a terrorist? A shocking, moving and timely novel about the choices that shape us. Rico knows trouble. He knows the look of it and the sound of it. He also knows to stay away from it as best he can. Because if there's one thing his Romany background has taught him, it's that he will always be a suspect. Despite his efforts to stay on the right side of the law, Rico is angry and frustrated at the injustices he sees happening at home and around the world. He wants to do something - but what? When he is approached by Speech, a mysterious man who shares Rico's hacktivist interests, Rico is given the perfect opportunity to speak out. After all, what harm can a peaceful cyber protest do...? From the bestselling author of REFUGEE BOY comes a powerful novel about justice, trust and idealism gone wrong that will make you look again at your definition of a terrorist.

Enter the crazy world of rap poet Benjamin Zephaniah! A reissue of the wonderfully irreverent collection of poetry for young people, touching on anything from vegetables to the Queen and from sewage to the sun. There's plenty of humour as well as poems on racism, pollution and the murder of a cat.

In this heart-stopping adventure based on real historical events, Benjamin Zephaniah shows us an important and intriguing time in Britain that's sure to fascinate young readers.

Windrush Child

This is a joyful rhyming celebration of the natural wonders all around us. At the bottom of my garden, there's a hedgehog and a frog, And a lot of creepy-crawlies living underneath a log... All around us, from parks to gardens and flowerpots to pavements, there's a world of wonder just waiting to be discovered. Why not look a little closer and see what you find? This joyful celebration of nature reminds us all to take a closer look at the world around us, and enjoy the wonder of nature wherever we find it. Packed with animals and minibeasts galore, this imaginative rhyming text is perfect for reading aloud.

Nature Trail

Winner of The Queen's Knickers Award 2024 To walk to To talk to To cry and rely on, People will always need people . . . From the creators of Nature Trail comes an uplifting picture book about the power of people, and the importance of connecting with others. This timely poem reminds us all to be kind to one another. Written by legendary poet, Benjamin Zephaniah, one of The Times' top 50 British post-war writers. Beautifully illustrated by Nila Aye. Praise for Nature Trail: A joy to read with small children - Independent

The award winning picture book poem from legendary poet Benjamin Zephaniah

People Need People

A new playful picture book from the award-winning makers of Nature Trail and People Need People, celebrating the magic of poetry. There's a poem on your face, there's a poem in the sky There's a poem in outerspace, there are poems passing by . . . From in your head and in your dreams, to on your nose or even on your slice of toast, there are poems everywhere. In this poem and through his incredible legacy, Benjamin Zephaniah demonstrates how poetry is truly all around us. Everyone has a poem inside of them, waiting to be discovered. Written by legendary poet, Benjamin Zephaniah, one of The Times' top 50 British post-war writers, and beautifully illustrated by his 'partner in rhyme', Nila Aye. Don't miss Nature Trail and People Need People - winner of the Queen's Knickers Award 2024.

A Poem in the Sky

This innovative book takes an alternative look at 12 occupations and the people who fill them. It's aim is to open up children's imaginations to the possibility that there are many more roles open to them than they may think. It doesn't just simply depict male nurses, female engineers and similar familiar sterotype-busting examples, but more broad-ranging examples of unusual people doing unusual jobs, such as Sikh lollipop man, a female clown and a black British Space Scientist. Benjamin Zephaniah's lyrical and amusing text also draws on his own experience of being stereotyped and misjudged because of the colour of his skin and the stle of his hair. Prodeepta Das is a master of photographing people in everyday situations and he brings to this project all the skill that made We Are Britain such an outstanding book. Jobs featured: Lollipop man, Clown, Space Scientist, Laywer, Concervational, Farmer, Vet, Pilot, Illustrator, Chef, Museum Director, Architect.

When I Grow Up

Victor G. Ambrus

Find out what it's like to be a famous poet, author and performer in this autobiography by Benjamin Zephaniah. Learn what it was like growing up in a house of seven children, meeting Nelson Mandela and how he sets about writing poetry, all told through his own voice and accompanied by artwork from Victor Ambrus.

My Story

A ground-breaking poem on the legacy of Stephen Lawrence from national treasure Benjamin Zephaniah. "The death of Stephen Lawrence Has taught us to love each other..." With extra information provided alongside Benjamin's powerful words and Joelle Avelino's striking illustration, this book is an indispensable tool for helping children aged 9+ to understand identity, diversity, justice, respect and racism.

Benjamin Zephaniah

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