Review: We Sang Across the Sea by Benjamin Zephaniah, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu

Some UK children's publishers are making an effort to commission accessible works for younger readers on Black-British history, and this rhyming picture book from renowned writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah is Scholastic's latest.  

The text, which fittingly reads like a song with a catchy chorus, recalls the true-life story of Mona Baptiste, a musician who travelled to England on board HMT Windrush in 1948, and whose singing prowess led to her international fame. 

Baptiste, a Trinidadian, is a prominent example of a woman on board the ship, so reading this text helps to dispel misconceptions that every Caribbean passenger was a male Jamaican or ex-military and destined for hard manual labour in the mother country.

Interestingly, Zephaniah has written the account in the first person so it feels autobiographical even though it isn't (Mona Baptiste sadly died in 1993). Through his account, we learn that she was musically gifted from childhood, hardworking, courageous and ambitious, leaving home alone, aged 19, to further her career in London and beyond. 

Onyinye Iwu's engaging double-page spreads, with period detailing, are thoughtfully crafted and burst with colour. Iwu celebrates numerous body types in joyful group scenes that simultaneously challenge overgeneralised views of Black people. For example, while studying a lively scene of Baptiste performing with other Caribbean musicians, my seven-year-old remarked that the saxophonist looked 'white'. This opened up a discussion about the variety in Black skin tone represented throughout the book, which I then related to our extended family: for example, my grandmother has light skin and blue eyes due to her English grandfather. He then stated: 'Britain only wanted white people to live and work here after World War Two' so we talked about the British government's preferred option of recruiting workers from white colonies of the Empire rather than Black Caribbean colonies. This wonderfully deep, child-initiated book chat all stemmed from Iwu's illustrations which clearly reflect elements of our complex colonial Black-British heritage. 

Although the story arc is a pleasing one, occasionally I felt the rhyming structure slightly constrained the amount of factual info included. Specifically, Baptiste, who travelled first class on Windrush, is believed to have come from a well-to-do family but this is subtly implied in the images, ie a big house, nice clothes, rather than explicitly stated, and so warrants teasing out during discussions. Additionally, unverified sources suggest Baptiste was already a local radio star in Trinidad but, in this account, this 'step up' into radio is attributed solely to her move to London. In the end, I wondered whether Baptiste's desire to bring joy to Europeans through song was her only motive for relocating, a question which perhaps provides an opportunity for further enquiry. 

This thought-provoking text recognises the remarkable achievements of a forgotten British-Trinidadian female music icon. Through poetic storytelling, we experience the essence of Baptiste's seemingly joyful personality, reflecting the sense of adventure, optimism and tenacity shown by many of those first, talented and skilled Windrush travellers.

We Sang Across the Sea: The Empire Windrush and Me by Benjamin Zephaniah, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu, is available to preorder, in paperback, via Amazon. Out 7 April!

Notes for teachers

A ticket to travel to London on the HMT Windrush wasn't cheap even for Troopdeck passengers: it cost £28 for a Troopdeck ticket and £48 pounds for cabin-class, which equates to approximately £1084 and £1859 respectively, in today's money. 

Sources suggest that HMT Windrush left Trinidad around 20 May 1948.

Resources for teachers and parents

The Story of the Windrush by KN Chimbiri

Black and British: A Short Essential History by David Olusoga

Musical Truth by Jeffrey Boakye, illustrated by Ngadi Smart

Mona Baptiste singing Stormy Weather 

https://www.gold.ac.uk/windrush/

Check out my Black Children's Books directory for suggested suitability of all the books I review. 

 


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