Story of Now by Shelina Janmohamed acquired by Welbeck Children’s Books

We’re thrilled to announce that Story of Now: Why We Need to Talk About the British Empire by Shelina Janmohamed, has been acquired by Welbeck Children’s Books. World rights were acquired by Associate Publisher Gemma Farr from Northbank Talent Management, and the book will be out in paperback on 3 August.

Story of Now is an honest and brave exploration of how we feel about ourselves as British citizens, how others around the world view us and how we want to be seen in the future. It prompts children to think about how to apply learnings from the past to new dilemmas and societal issues facing us today.

Shelina is an author, advertising executive, and host of podcast The Shelina Show. She is also a newspaper columnist. Her books include BeYOUtiful (Welbeck), Love in a Headscarf (Aurum) and Generation M (IB Tauris).

‘We wanted to produce a book that invited children and families to have conversations about what it means to be British, and in doing so, this amazing wealth of incredible stories came pouring in all around us.’ 

Farr said: ‘We wanted to produce a book that invited children and families to have conversations about what it means to be British, and in doing so, this amazing wealth of incredible stories came pouring in all around us. Everyone seems to have a story connected in some way to the Empire and it is so great to be able to produce something that can bring families together to learn more about who they are.’

Janmohamed says: ‘Anyone who thinks the past is too difficult to discuss with children underestimates our smart insightful kids, and the importance of being honest. I want to speak directly to children, through the stories of children, in a way that connects to every child. I hope every child, family and school will have this book not just because the British Empire still shapes our world today, but because it gives children at a formative stage in their lives a framework to understand and shape who they want to be and their place in the world.’