Verna Wilkins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Verna Allette Wilkins FRSL
Born	1940s Grenada
Occupation	Publisher and author of children's books
Known for	Founder of Tamarind Books
Notable work	Dave and the Tooth Fairy (1993)
Children	2

Verna Allette Wilkins, born in Grenada in 1943, is a publisher and author who now lives in London. She is known for starting Tamarind Books in 1987. This company created special children's books that showed Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic children, as well as children with disabilities. Wilkins wanted all children to see themselves in the books they read. Twenty years later, a big company called Random House Group bought Tamarind Books. Wilkins has also written more than 40 picture books and biographies for young people.

About Verna Wilkins

Verna Wilkins was born on the island of Grenada. Her father was a head teacher who helped bring Caribbean history into the school lessons, which used to focus mostly on Britain's past. Wilkins remembers her father telling them stories that were important to their lives, including tales from Africa and the Caribbean. He wanted his children and students to feel good about who they were.

Why She Started Publishing Books

Verna Wilkins used to be a teacher. She realized how important early learning materials are when one of her sons came home from school. He was five years old and had colored himself pink in a "This is Me" booklet. When she offered him a brown crayon, he refused. He said the picture had to be pink because it was for a book. He had already learned that children who looked like him were not often seen in books.

Wilkins then looked into this more. She found that children from ethnic minority groups were not shown enough in children's books. This meant they were missing an important part of their learning. So, Wilkins decided to start making books that would fill this need.

Building Tamarind Books

In 1987, Wilkins started Tamarind Books from her home. She wrote many of the books herself. New books were only published when there was enough money in the company's bank account. In the beginning, she even sold the books herself.

She worked from her kitchen table with help from her partner and sons. Wilkins knew that there had been talks about race and different cultures since the 1960s, especially with more immigrants coming to the UK from the Caribbean and Asia. Schools were being told to have lessons that included everyone. Wilkins visited schools and talked to teachers, knowing there were many children who needed to see themselves in books.

As Tamarind Books became successful, Wilkins felt it needed to grow even more. In 2007, Random House Children's Books bought Tamarind. Wilkins stayed with the company until 2009. In 2008, Tamarind Books won an award called the Decibel Cultural Diversity Award at the British Book Awards.

After Tamarind, Wilkins started another project called Firetree Books in 2016. She worked with primary school children on books like A Visit to City Farm and Abdi's Day. The children even helped publish the books and their names were included. Wilkins has also worked with children in schools in Uganda, helping them be part of making books where they could see themselves.

Her Writing

Verna Wilkins has written over 40 picture books and biographies for young people. Her books have been used in school lessons and shown on BBC children's television. Some have even been chosen as Children's Books of the Year.

Two of her most famous books from Tamarind Books are The Life of Stephen Lawrence (2001) and Dave and The Tooth Fairy (1993). Dave and The Tooth Fairy featured a Black tooth fairy and sold more than 200,000 copies! Wilkins also wrote biographies for a series called Black Profiles. These books celebrated the lives of inspiring people like Malorie Blackman, Benjamin Zephaniah, and Baroness Scotland.

In 2019, Wilkins wrote an essay for a book called New Daughters of Africa. In it, she explained that she believes children should see themselves as the authors, editors, designers, illustrators, and publishers of the future.

Other Important Work

Verna Wilkins led a group called Independent Black Publishers (IBP). This group helped Black publishers in the UK share ideas and work together. In 2007, they had a special display at the London Book Fair to show off books from different Black-owned publishing companies.

Wilkins has also been a judge for important book awards, like the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature and the Jhalak Prize. She is also a well-known speaker who leads discussions in the UK, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.

In 2021, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This is a special honor for writers.

Awards and Recognition

• 2007: Received a "Highly Commended" award at the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) Awards for diversity.
• 2008: Won the Cultural Diversity Award at the British Book Awards.
• 2014: Newman University Birmingham gave Wilkins an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. This was for her work supporting children's literature and her involvement in education.
• 2021: Became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL).