Baroness Floella Benjamin’s own Windrush story arrives on CBeebies
The book will be read by David Olusoga and will mark the start of Black History Month.
She was the face of children’s TV for decades and now Baroness Floella Benjamin’s early life is being celebrated with a CBeebies Bedtime Story.
Her own story, Coming To England, will be read to viewers.
It tells how the Play School and Play Away host arrived in London from Trinidad, as part of the Windrush generation.
The book will be read by Professor David Olusoga, the historian and presenter of A House Through Time, and will mark the start of Black History Month.
The 71-year-old has previously told how she “fought every day because I hated people for treating me as a colour, not as a person” during her first four years in Britain.
After shoving a lollipop down the throat of a teenager, around her age, who was calling her names, she “stopped fighting with my fist and started fighting with my brain” when she had a “spiritual moment,” she previously told the BBC.
Professor Olusoga said: “After reading Coming To England to my daughter earlier this month, I knew this was a very important and special book that needed to be shared widely.
“Not only does the story encourage empathy from children at a very young age but also a greater understanding of the Windrush generation.
“It explains at an elementary level what it means to be a British person with black Caribbean heritage, a background that deserves to be celebrated and learned about.
“Stories are the bridge to opening up minds and personal stories like Baroness Floella Benjamin’s deserve to be heard.”
CBeebies Bedtime Stories is on each weekday at 6.50pm on the CBeebies channel and is available on BBC iPlayer. Baroness Floella Benjamin’s CBeebies Bedtime Story is on October 1.
