New Releases by Benjamin Zephaniah

A playful, funny and thought-provoking collection from the iconic Benjamin Zephaniah. Poems packed with wisdom and laughter, poems that cherish and challenge our world, poems that delight in our differences and similarities. ‘Dere’s a Sonnet Under me bonnet Dere’s a Epic In me ear ‘Dere’s a Novel In me navel Dere’s a Classic Here somewhere’ From veggies and vocabulary to pollution and revolution, this new anthology brings together Benjamin Zephaniah’s greatest rhymes, along with a previously unpublished poem and a brand-new foreword by George the Poet. Timeless and essential, Let Dem Know is the perfect introduction to a true original – and inspiration for the young writers, speakers and thinkers of the future.

A joyful picture book that celebrates the magic of poetry, from the award-winning makers of Nature Trail and People Need People. There''s a poem on your face There''s a poem in the sky There''s a poem in outta space There are poems passing by Poems are EVERYWHERE - in your dreams, on your fingers and in your teeth! There''s even a poem in you. Can''t you see it? It''s right there. Get ready to see poems wherever you are in this toe-tapping celebration of rhythm and rhyme from award-winning poet Benjamin Zephaniah, beautifully illustrated by Nila Aye. Praise for Nature Trail: ''A joy to read with small children'' - Independent

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.

Follow a little boy''s friendship and journey with one tree, in this powerful and beautiful love letter to nature. From master wordsmith, Benjamin Zephaniah, comes a breathtaking new poem and story showing how trees offer us the perspective and connection to nature we crave in our daily lives. The final scene is an honest representation of the devastating effects of deforestation and urban development, encouraging all of us, everywhere, to ''leave the trees, please''. With resplendent illustrations from bestselling Melissa Castrillon, this book is both magnificent and timely.

"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 ...?"--Provided by publisher.

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

Build your child’s reading confidence at home with books at the right level

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.

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.

*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 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

Written by award-winning author, poet and performer Benjamin Zephaniah, this modern story follows Jaden''s first few weeks at his new secondary school. As two rival groups of boys both befriend Jaden, the pressure mounts - who will he choose and does he really want to be part of a gang? - Collins Big Cat Progress books are specifically designed for children at Key Stage 2 who have a Key Stage 1 reading level, giving them age-appropriate texts that they can read, building their confidence and fostering positive attitudes towards reading. - Text type: A story with a familiar setting

An eye for an eye. It''s very simple. You choose your homeland like a hyena picking and choosing where he steals his next meal from. Scavenger. Yes you grovel to the feet of Mengistu and when his people spit at you and kick you from the bowl you scuttle across the border. Scavenger. As a violent civil war rages back home, teenager Alem and his father are in a B&B in Berkshire. It''s his best holiday ever. The next morning his father is gone and has left a note explaining that he and his mother want to protect Alem from the war. This strange grey country of England is now his home. On his own, and in the hands of the social services and the Refugee Council, he lives from letter to letter, waiting to hear something from his father. Then Alem meets car-obsessed Mustapha, the lovely ''out of your league'' Ruth and dangerous Sweeney – three unexpected allies who spur him on as Alem fights to be seen as more than just the Refugee Boy. Based on the novel by Benjamin Zephaniah, Refugee Boy is an urgent story of a courageous African boy sent to England to escape the violent civil war, a story about arriving, belonging and finding ''home''.

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.

Liam has a good life, but it would be even better if he could find out who his real parents are.

''My name is Jackson Jones. I stood and watched a teacher die. For the first time in my life I felt real shock. 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.''

''A brilliant first novel'' Guardian In the moving and compelling debut novel from Benjamin Zephaniah, a young man''s life is completely changed when his face is badly scarred in a car accident. Martin seems to have it all. He''s cool, funny, and he''s the undisputed leader of the Gang of Three, who roam their East London estate during the holidays looking for fun. But one night after the Gang leave a late night rap club, Martin accepts a ride from Pete, a Raider''s Posse gang member. Too late, he realises that the car is stolen, and that the police are after them. What happens next will change Martin''s life and looks, and show him the true meaning of strength, courage, discrimination and friendship. Brilliantly written and with a real ear for dialogue, fans of Angie Thomas and Malorie Blackman will love Benjamin Zephaniah''s novels for young adult readers: Refugee Boy Face Gangsta Rap Teacher''s Dead

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.

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.