This new children’s book: The Story of Britain’s Black Nurses by Bajan author Kandace Chimbiri was published by Scholastic on 26^th September 2024.

This book which is illustrated by Jael Umerah-Makelemi and Simone Douglas captures the contributions of many incredible nurses from around the world.

From Anguilla to Zimbabwe there are more than 30 countries (including Barbados) whose histories form part of the story of Britain’s Black nurses.

Nursing history is generally an under researched topic. This book is a wonderful celebration of the fascinating and seldom heard stories of Britain’s Black nurses.

Kandace Chimbiri is a children’s author who is passionate about spreading the awareness of Black history. Her non-fiction writing is based on true-life stories and events from Black history.

She was born in Greenwich, London and raised in nearby Lewisham with her sister. Her Bajan parents were part of the large-scale migration of Caribbean people to Britain after World War II, now generally referred to in the UK as the Windrush generation. In 1980 her family returned to Barbados, where Kandace attended Christ Church Foundation School for O Levels and then Combermere School for A levels. Kandace credits her Barbadian school days with instilling in her a love of history.

As an adult, Kandace returned to England and now resides in south London.

Kandace told us she was strongly impacted by the gaping void in children’s literature: there were few books about Black history, and what existed reflected just a slice of the richness and complexity of Black history. She began writing and self-publishing children’s books: her first title was an activity book called Step Back in Time to Ancient Kush (2009). This was followed by The Story of Early Ancient Egypt (2011), Secrets of the Afro Comb: 6,000 Years of Art and Culture (2013) and The Story of the Windrush (republished by Scholastic in 2020).

Kandace has now taken the journey from self-publishing to traditional publishing, landing a 5-book deal in 2020 with Scholastic. And, in November 2022 Kandace left her 9am to 5pm job to become a full-time author.

Kandace Chimbiri’s books include:

• The Story of Britain’s Black Nurses (published by Scholastic on 26^th September 2024)
• The Steel Donkey: A Tale from Barbados (published by Hodder Education in 2023)
• The Story of Britain’s Black Airmen (published by Scholastic in 2022)
• The Story of Afro Hair, 5,000 Years of History, Fashion and Styles (published by Scholastic in 2021)
• The Gingerbread Man (published by Bloomsbury Education in 2021)
• The Story of the Windrush (republished by Scholastic in 2020)
• The Story of the Windrush (self published in 2018)
• Secrets of the Afro Comb, 6,000 Years of Art and Culture (self published in 2013)
• The Story of Early Ancient Egypt (self published in 2011)
• Step back in time to ancient Kush: activity book (self published in 2009)

Kandace is passionate about the role books play in improving literacy and children’s life chances.

Whether I’m writing about ancient Africa or modern Black British history, I just want to share missing stories and neglected narratives.

The Empire Windrush’s journey in 1948 is such an important event in modern British history, yet when I looked for a book for children about it I couldn’t find one! I also knew a bit about my parents’ experiences of coming to Britain from Barbados in the 1960s. I just felt that children growing up today in Britain, the Caribbean and beyond should learn about the story of the Windrush generation.

I knew nothing about Errol Barrow’s Second World War contribution. I think it’s very important for children in Barbados to learn about this as it gives more context to his becoming our ‘father of independence’. This book also helps to situate him in the wider cadre of men from Africa and the Caribbean who became involved in changing the world after the Second World War. It’s an important part of history that I think should be much better known.

Kandace Chimbiri

Kandace also writes early readers. One example, which is available to schools worldwide through Hodder Education, is: The Steel Donkey: A Tale From Barbados. Most Bajans will be familiar with the legend which Kandace has brought to life for children through a modern re-telling.

All of Kandace Chimbiri’s books are available in the UK from Amazon or for those outside of the UK and Eire from Awesome Books.

[Editors note: This post was written by Peter Burton. The authorship has been assigned to Kandace Chimbiri so it appears under Kandace Chimbiri’s list of authored posts.]