Rating: *** 3 stars

Verna Wilkins, illustrated by Gillian Hunt,
Benjamin Zephaniah
Tamarind 'Black Stars' , 2008.

Verna Wilkins, illustrated by Virginia Gray,
Malorie Blackman
Tamarind 'Black Stars' , 2008.

Biography

Ages 8-10

The writing of biographies of famous people to provide inspiration and encouragement to children has a long history in children’s literature. In earlier stories of achievement, young people would be shown emerging from childhoods of misfortune and isolation to achieve success through talent and determination. Here, Verna Wilkins gives the lives of Benjamin Zephaniah and Malorie Blackman this treatment, although the keen reading, school loving young Malorie was clearly very different from the disaffected young Benjamin who fell into street crime. In Malorie’s case it was sickle cell anaemia which posed, and continues to pose, perhaps her greatest challenge. Both these life stories have clear didactic intentions. The values of family, community and education are stressed. Young readers are implicitly advised to follow their dreams and have confidence in themselves; and there are explicit warnings not to be bound by your own or other people’s low expectations. These messages would have relevance to any child coming from a disadvantaged background or lacking in self esteem, but here they are obviously most concerned with black children. The importance of the Caribbean cultural background to both children is mentioned. Benjamin’s story opens with an incident of racial assault. Malorie’s awareness of the absence of black children in the stories she enjoyed as a child and her enjoyment of African American authors in her teens is highlighted. The didactic intention of these biographies, clearly and engagingly written as they are, gives them an old fashioned feel, which is underlined by the black and white line illustrations. Virginia Gray’s drawings for the Malorie Blackman title have a 1950s look, while Gillian Hunt, on the other hand, brings drama, humour and a sense of style to the Benjamin Zephaniah title. There is an interview with Blackman and a full list of her work as an appendix to her biography; and extracts from Zephaniah’s poems are scattered throughout his, with a complete poem to finish.

Clive Barnes
March 2009, No. 175

Guide to the rating system:
***** 5 stars, unmissable
**** 4 stars, very good
*** 3 stars, good
** 2 stars, fair
* 1 star, poor