John Agard's Windrush Child

“A beautiful poetic and visual delight” Joseph Coelho

A BEAUTIFULLY EVOCATIVE STORY OF A CHILD'S JOURNEY TO ENGLAND ON BOARD EMPIRE WINDRUSH, FROM AN INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED, MULTI-AWARD-WINNING POET AND AN EXTRAORDINARY DEBUT ILLUSTRATOR.

"you're stepping into history
bringing your Caribbean eye
to another horizon"

With one last hug, Windrush chid waves goodbye to his Caribbean home and sets sail across the ocean to Britain. In this powerful picture book, full of hope and promise, celebrated poet John Agard and illustrator Sophie Bass movingly evoke the journey made by children and their families as part of the Windrush Generation.

PRAISE FOR JOHN AGARD'S WINDRUSH CHILD:

Longlisted for the Jhalak Children's & YA Prize 2023
Longlisted for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration
Shortlisted for the Spark! School Book Award 2023
Longlisted for the Children’s Literature Festivals Book Awards 2023

"A poetic story brought to life by Sophie Bass’s colour-popping illustrations." Daily Mail

"A beautiful picture book with gorgeous illustrations ... I couldn't think of a better way for young children to learn about history and understand the world." David Walliams

“John Agard’s hopeful poem commemorates a child’s Windrush journey from the Caribbean, and bold and vivid illustrations sing of palm trees and mangos left behind, and new experiences, including pigeons and terraced houses and snow.” ‘One to Watch’, The Sunday Times (Culture)

"Debut illustrator Bass’s intricate, colourful, arresting pictures bring out all the resonances of Agard’s spare text in this story of a child, a ship, a journey, and a new life enriched by the loves and memories of the old." Guardian

"A stunning picture book ... with the distinctive, vibrant art of Sophie Bass.” The Bookseller

"A gorgeous bedtime read that will reward repeat readings, deceptively simple, emotionally deep." Joseph Coelho

a stunning picture book, paired with the distinctive, vibrant art of Sophie Bass

Poet, playwright and short story writer John Agard grew up in Guiana, where his love of language grew out of listening to cricket commentaries on the radio. He has won many prizes, including the Smarties Book Prize and the Queen’s Gold Medal. John is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and his work appears in an AQA anthology for GCSE English Literature. With his partner Grace Nichols, John has edited the Walker anthologies A Caribbean Dozen and Under the Moon and Over the Sea, and he is the author of the Carnegie-longlisted My Name Is Book. John lives in Lewes, East Sussex.


Sophie Bass is a British Trinidadian illustrator based in London. Mostly working in the music industry and on social justice projects, Sophie's distinctive style draws on her Trinidadian heritage, and explores folk art and nature. Sophie's family are huge fans of John Agard's poetry, so she is very excited to be making her picture-book debut on Windrush Child. Sophie lives in north London.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.