Can Picture Books Change the Story? I was born in the UK and my mother has lived here for three quarters of her life. She was born in Trinidad and Tobago when it was under colonial rule, so grew up as a British citizen. However, my mother is still an ‘immigrant’ in the UK, while […]
Just Like Grandpa Jazz is the debut picture book from Tarah L. Gear, illustrated by Mirna Imamovic. Written from Tarah’s personal experiences of privilege and racism within her mixed-race family, the book subtly educates readers on racism and immigration, whilst focusing on the joy of intergenerational relationships, and emphasising that we must continue to share […]
There’s a reason why all the central characters in my books for children are nine or ten years old. If you asked me how I viewed the world when I was seven, or twelve, or fifteen, I’d find it quite difficult to be specific – how could I pin down my mind-set at a […]
I’ve moved around a lot in my life. The first time was when I was about a year old, from where I was born in Bahrain to Kuwait. From then on, I moved countries, houses and schools throughout my childhood. With my family at first and then, when my family split in half, on my […]
‘Pack your bags – we’re off!’ Lu Fraser takes a look at bookish ‘belonging’… I love suitcases – I really do. I love the way they’re often a little battered and covered in strange labels, I love the moment when I zip a bulging suitcase closed and I love the feeling of shutting my front […]
I am delighted to be a part of National Share a Story Month, which highlights the wonderful stories that can help children grow, find their voice, their identity and to feel like they belong. What does ‘belonging’ mean? For me, it simply means being in a space where I can truly be myself and feel […]
In The Animal Lighthouse, 12-year-old Jim is brought up by a group of animals on a secret island somewhere in the Caribbean. They are an orangutan, raccoon, parrot, three rats, a millipede, cat, elephant and a crab who farts a lot. The animals are his family – a very different one he found himself growing […]
It doesn’t matter if you’re a super-famous rock star, or the new kid in school: we all want to feel as though we belong – that we have people around us and spaces to be a part of, where we feel comfortable and safe and free to be 1000% ourselves (no matter how seemingly […]
Belonging is a two-way street I have just this week seen the front cover artwork for my new book ‘Rosie Raja, Churchill’s Spy’ which is releasing on 4th August with Bloomsbury Publishing. I’m very much looking forward to sharing the story about an eleven-year-old girl, a mixed-race princess with an English father and an […]
STORIES BELONG TO ALL OF US A few years ago, I was watching Netflix when I came across a film. An archetypal girl-next-door-falls-for-her-best-friend’s-brother teenage love story – at that time, the most watched film on the platform. There were so many recognisable tropes in this story, so many familiar teenage emotions, even to me, a […]
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