An empowering celebration of growing up Black

Hey You!

"It distils the fierce heartache of racist injustice as well as a passionate sense of joy and hope for the future." 
The Guardian 
 
"From the pain of systemic racism to the hope of the future, it's an honest but largely uplifting read, aimed at children particularly." 
Evening Standard 
 
"A series of clever and witty illustrations matched with informative text guides the reader through a series of situations where they might encounter prejudice, and how to form strategies to overcome a situation before it becomes a problem." 
The Independent 
 
"This beautiful book also serves as a brilliant directory of work from black illustrators." 
BookTrust 
 
This groundbreaking picture book is a lyrical, inspirational exploration of growing up Black, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola, and brought to life by some of the most exciting Black illustration talents working today. 
 
Remember to dream your own dreams 
Love your beautiful skin 
You always have a choice 
 
This book addresses - honestly, yet hopefully - the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future, delivering a powerful message to a new generation of dreamers. It's a message that is both urgent and timeless - and offers a rich and rewarding reading experience for every child. 
 
To mirror the rich variety of the Black diaspora, this book showcases artwork from Dapo and 18 incredible Black illustrators in one beautiful, powerful, and cohesive reading experience.

Illustrator Dapo Adeola's debut as author, Hey You! (Puffin), is a lyrical celebration of growing up black. Featuring the work of 18 illustrators, including Diane Ewen, Onyinye Iwu and Selom Sunu - since, as Adeola states: "I'm just one person, I can't possibly hope to speak for the entire diaspora" - it distils the fierce heartache of racist injustice as well as a passionate sense of joy and hope for the future.

A beautifully realised book, helmed by illustrator Dapo Adeola and featuring a number of other excellent artists, this is a portrait of the Black experience while growing up. From the pain of systemic racism to the hope of the future, it's an honest but largely uplifting read, aimed at children particularly.

A series of clever and witty illustrations matched with informative text guides the reader through a series of situations where they might encounter prejudice, and how to form strategies to overcome a situation before it becomes a problem.

This beautiful book also serves as a brilliant directory of work from Black illustrators, enabling parents to look up their other books, or keep an eye out for their work in the future. Perfect for new parents and fans of Oliver Jeffers Here We Are, I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C James, and Tami Charles' and Bryan Collier's All Because You Matter.

Each double page spread, and the end papers, are all created by one of the eighteen talented Black illustrators assembled from all over the world or this book. It is a joy to see so many different yet complementary styles of illustration creating the whole. A book for every classroom and nursery in the country!

This lyrical picture book is a message to our children, to show them how much we love and cherish them. To remind them they can achieve anything and be proud of their Black heritage and stand together. Reading this with my girls, I felt incredibly emotional. This is the book I wish I'd read as a child, and I feel so grateful to be able to read it with my children now.

This ground-breaking picture book is a lyrical, inspirational exploration of growing up Black, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola and brought to life by some of the most exciting Black illustration talents working today

This book address - honestly, yet hopefully - the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future, delivering a powerful message to a new generation of dreamers. It's a message that is both urgent and timeless - and offers a rich rewarding reading experience for every child.

Dapo Adeola is an award-winning illustrator and designer who creates characters and images that challenge expectations around race and gender in a fun and upbeat way. He is the co-creator and illustrator of bestselling picture book Look Up! - winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the number 1 debut picture book of 2019. 
London born and bred but of Nigerian heritage, when he's not busy cooking up new characters and adventures you can find Dapo running illustration and character design workshops with children or organising events to help highlight the possibilities of a career in illustration to underrepresented members of the Black diaspora.

"It distils the fierce heartache of racist injustice as well as a passionate sense of joy and hope for the future." 
The Guardian 
 
"From the pain of systemic racism to the hope of the future, it's an honest but largely uplifting read, aimed at children particularly." 
Evening Standard 
 
"A series of clever and witty illustrations matched with informative text guides the reader through a series of situations where they might encounter prejudice, and how to form strategies to overcome a situation before it becomes a problem." 
The Independent 
 
"This beautiful book also serves as a brilliant directory of work from black illustrators." 
BookTrust 
 
This groundbreaking picture book is a lyrical, inspirational exploration of growing up Black, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola, and brought to life by some of the most exciting Black illustration talents working today. 
 
Remember to dream your own dreams 
Love your beautiful skin 
You always have a choice 
 
This book addresses - honestly, yet hopefully - the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future, delivering a powerful message to a new generation of dreamers. It's a message that is both urgent and timeless - and offers a rich and rewarding reading experience for every child. 
 
To mirror the rich variety of the Black diaspora, this book showcases artwork from Dapo and 18 incredible Black illustrators in one beautiful, powerful, and cohesive reading experience.

Ashley Hickson-Lovence

Kingsley Nebechi

Another future award winner from Ashley. This one is gritty, engrossing and deeply relatable

An electrifying new YA verse-novel by multi-award-winning and Carnegie nominated author and poet Ashley Hickson-Lovence. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds, Dean Atta and Manjeet Mann. 
 
There are stories within these storeys . . . 
 
Something is going down at Singer Court. 
 
Something big. 
 
It’s Saturday morning and fourteen-year-old Toby “Mastermind” McKenzie and his younger brother Dré are forced to evacuate their high-rise tower block by armed officers. 
 
Set over the course of a single day, this is the nail-bitingly thrilling and poetic tale of a bright young Black boy using the power of courage, friendship and unity to save his community. 
 
'Another future award-winner from Ashley . . . Gritty, engrossing and deeply relatable' Nathanael Lessore 
 
Ashley Hickson-Lovence's debut YA verse-novel Wild East won the YA Diverse Book Award 2025, the Two Cities Book Award 2024, the Mal Peet Children’s Award 2024 and the East Anglian Book of the Year 2024. It was nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing 2025 and shortlisted and longlisted for multiple more prizes. 
 
Praise for Wild East: 
 
‘A powerful story of resilience, friendship, discovery and growth’ Jeffrey Boakye, author of Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer 
 
‘I loved Ronny's kindness, vulnerability, empathy, tenacity and open-heartedness’ Patrice Lawrence, author of Orangeboy 
 
‘Raw, moving, and so accessible. A powerful spoken-word style verse novel’ Rashmi Sirdeshpande, author of How To Be Extraordinary 
 
‘Welcomes all types of readers . . . Hickson-Lovence has crafted a superb piece’ DD Armstrong, author of Ugly Dogs Don't Cry 
 
‘A book meant to be heard . . . It's the fresh, “spoken word” style that makes Ronny's story’ The Times 
 
‘Heartfelt and up-to-the-minute . . . A reminder that even short lines can take you a long way’ The Sunday Times 
 
‘This empowering verse novel announces the arrival of an exciting new talent in YA fiction’ Waterstones.com

Kingsley Nebechi

Books by Kingsley Nebechi

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