Yaba Badoe on Man-man and the Tree of Memories and books for kids about generational trauma

 

Our Cockatoo subscribers are hitting the streets of Notting Hill and heading to Carnival this month with the joyous, colourful and thought-provoking Man-man and the Tree of Memories by Yaba Badoe. Yaba's book is both a celebration of Black culture and an introduction to the concept of generational trauma for young readers, all wrapped up in a thrilling and magical family adventure. We loved it! Here Yaba tells us about the research she did that inspired the book and which other books for kids that reflect on generational trauma she recommends you read next.

 

What inspired you to write Man-Man and the Tree of Memories?

 

The seed of write a story about carnival was planted when I was briefly a Writer in Residence at the George Padmore Institute in London. I leaped at the opportunity to write about the Notting Hill carnival because it’s a glorious celebration of Black culture rooted in the history of Africa and its diaspora. 

 

What research did you do for the book, and did you learn anything that surprised you?

 

I was able to speak to members of the George Padmore Institute who shared their insights about carnival with me and opened their incredible archive for me to rummage through. To understand the structure and mechanics of carnival floats, I spoke to a designer friend, Jane Ripley, who’s made floats for the Notting Hill carnival. A former student of mine at the University of the West Indies, Yinka Williams, a huge fan of carnival, sent me photographs and videos of carnivals she’d attended in Trinidad, Grenada and Notting Hill. Finally, as a film maker, I’ve filmed carnival-like festivities in Benin and Ghana, spent an evening watching preparations for the Rio carnival at a salsa school in Brazil, and watched the biggest street party in Europe unfold from a friend’s balcony at Notting Hill.  My biggest surprise was at the salsa school in a poor neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro. The intricate coordination of dance steps combined with the dazzle of costumes and gleeful exuberance of participants seized my imagination and blew me away.

 

Do you think Man-Man, Pan and Kareem’s experience will change them and in what ways?

 

I’m sure that Man-man, Kareem and Pan’s experience will change them forever.  I believe that the adventure will reinforce Man-man’s instinctive belief in the power of stories and dance and make him love his Mum even more. I suspect that after everything Pan has gone through, she’ll be a great deal more tolerant of Man-man and Kareem’s nerdy antics and embrace the possibility that magic exists in the world.

 

What would you like young readers to take away from the book?

 

I hope that readers of Man-man and the Tree of Memories are filled with wonder at his adventure with the Revel Queen, which takes him to Africa past. It would be great if the story helps young readers appreciate the impact of slavery on Man-man’s family – his mother especially. When he sets off on his quest to find the cause of her illness, I’d like readers to be rooting for Man-man at every stage of his story.

 

Can you tell us anything about what the future hold for Man-man and his family?

 

I’m convinced that as often happens in the best fairy tales, Man-man and his family will live happily after!

 

Do you have a favourite place to write?

 

I write in my study in London; a study with French windows that open to a courtyard garden filled with pots. At this time of year wall flowers are beginning to come out. Later the ground will be paved with Mexican daisies and Californian poppies. I planted lilies of the valley bulbs last year because I love the scent of their flowers.  From my workstation I can see a seed dispenser for birds, so, whenever I pause for breath or I want to be distracted, I watch tits, sparrows and robins fighting as they guzzle seeds. I was once stunned to see a sparrow hawk try to catch a sparrow. The breadth and colouring of its wings were magnificent. Luckily the sparrow got away.

 

Why did you choose to write books for this age group?

 

Reading was a great source of nourishment and escape when I was a child at prep school. I remember sitting by a radiator reading Grimm’s Fairy Tales on wet Devon afternoons. I adored stories. They helped me survive. So much so, that there’s still a child within me ravenous not just for any old story, but stories that resonate with children that look like me and share bits of my heritage. Such stories didn’t exist when I was growing up in the 1960s, so I’m trying to make them available to children today. To be honest, I was rather ambivalent about delving into the theme of slavery in Man-man and the Tree of Memories.  The repercussions of slavery have been so immense for people of African heritage that a part of me was reluctant to explore it with this age group. Thankfully, I was able to talk about my reservations while on a writing retreat in France with the late Marcus Sedgewick. He reminded me that MG readers are keenly alert to social injustice and can tackle difficult, sensitive subjects when presented in story form.  I’m so glad I listened to his advice.

 

Which other books for kids that explore the theme of generational trauma would you recommend our subscribers read next?

 

It could just be me, but I suspect that the best stories contain the seed of a ghost story in them. The theme of generational trauma is a rather grand way of describing deeds of the past that continue to haunt us. I love the stories of Lucy Strange – The Ghost of Gosswater – especially. But whether it’s Oliver Twist, Bleak House, Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, there are always elements of the past in stories that speak to me. The past has to be acknowledged and dealt with before a resolution in the present can be found.

 

Copies of our Man-man and the Tree of Memories pack, including a copy of the book and loads of fun activities to go with it, are now available for individual purchase. Grab a copy while stocks last!

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