Best Selling Books by Benjamin Zephaniah

*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.

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

Welcome to the wild and wicked words of Benjamin Zephaniah. You''ll find loads of cool people who make up our world in this rapping, happening hip-hop collection. From the South Pole to Mongolia and the Himalayas, this is a real world tour of poems about people and places, cultures and nationalities across our planet. Includes poems about Inuits, Celts, the history of Britain, Maories, the Dalai Lama, the North and South Poles, and much more - a rhyming round-the-world trip. Poems that bounce up from the page and demand to be read, rapped, sung and hip-hopped aloud - Independent on Sunday

''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.''

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''.

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.

''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

A reissue of TALKING TURKEYS by street poet Benjamin Zephaniah. Talking Turkeys is an unconventional collection of straight-talking poems about heroes, revolutions, racism, love and animal rights, among other subjects, that will entice many new readers to poetry. It is his very first ground-breaking children''s poetry collection - playful, clever and provocative - this is performance poetry on the page at its very best. Benjamin Zephaniah was born in Birmingham and then spent some of his early years in Jamaica. He came to London when he was 22 and his first book of poetry for adults was published soon after. He appears regularly on radio and TV including a Desert Island Discs appearance, literary festivals, and has also taken part in plays and films. He is most well-known for his performance poetry with a political edge for both children and adults and gritty teenage fiction. His collections Talking Turkeys, Wicked World and Funky Chickens broke new ground in children''s poetry. He is the only Rastafarian poet to be short-listed for the Chairs of Poetry for both Oxford and Cambridge University and has been listed in The Times'' list of 50 greatest postwar writers. Benjamin now lives in Lincolnshire.

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. Benjamin Zephaniah''s poetry for adults has been brought together in Dis Poetry: Selected Poems & Lyrics (Bloodaxe Books, April 2025). This posthumous retrospective includes all the poems from his three Bloodaxe collections, City Psalms (1992), Propa Propaganda (1996) and Too Black Too Strong (2001), as well as some from The Dread Affair (Arena, 1985), along with previously unpublished work and lyrics from various recordings. A QR code printed in Dis Poetry links to Pamela Robertson-Pearce''s film portrait of Benjamin Zephaniah from the DVD-book To Do Wid Me (Bloodaxe Books, 2013).

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.

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.

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

Millions of people know Benjamin Zephaniah''s voice. The popular Rasta poet has given readings around the world, from Palestine to Argentina, as well as throughout Britain - in schools and colleges, youth clubs and prisons, theatres and music venues. Benjamin Zephaniah was born in Birmingham, and grew up in Jamaica and in Handsworth, where he was sent to an approved school for being rebellious and ''a born failure'', ending up in jail for burglary. After prison he turned from crime to music and poetry. In 1989 he was nominated for Oxford Professor of Poetry.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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