Windrush Child: The Tale of a Caribbean Child Who Faced a New Horizon by John Agard (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Windrush Child: The Tale of a Caribbean Child Who Faced a New Horizon by John Agard Natalie Berglind Agard, John Windrush Child: The Tale of a Caribbean Child Who Faced a New Horizon; illus. by Sophie Bass. Candlewick, 2023 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781536228533 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* 4-8 yrs "Behind you/Windrush child/palm trees wave goodbye" starts our story, as a child and his parents wave goodbye to their Caribbean home from the deck of a boat. As the boat's passengers pass time playing cards and instruments and lounging on deck, they are beset with both nostalgia and wonder: "… new beginnings/doors closing and opening/will things turn out right?" When the Empire Windrush arrives in London, reporters are there to flash their cameras, and the child is nervous: "Walk good walk good/and the sea's wheel carries on spinning." The boy brings his "Caribbean eye/to another horizon" as he writes a letter to Grandmother as promised and makes his mark on the world. Agard's 2002 poem "Windrush Child" is paired with Bass' vibrant gouache in this stunning picture book tribute to the Windrush Generation. Images harmoniously evoke the beauty of each lyrical stanza with stylized ripples of the ocean's water, swirling asterisk stars, and strikingly patterned birds. Symbolism is prominent in Bass' art: different birds are depicted taking flight with the Windrush child's family, footsteps pass through Caribbean sand in the front endpages and through the English snow on the back endpages, and a final, powerful image of the Windrush child casting a long shadow signifies his lasting impact on England and its culture. An informative final note details how the Windrush Generation came to be, along with a very brief mention of some of the struggles they faced once they reached shore. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois