Kandace Chimbiri is a children’s author and speaker who is passionate about spreading awareness of Black history. Her non-fiction writing is based on true life stories and events from Black history.

Born in Greenwich, London and raised in nearby Lewisham with her sister, Kandace’s Barbados born parents instilled in her a sense of pride and a lifelong love of books and reading. Her parents were part of the large-scale migration of African Caribbean settlers to Britain, now known as the Windrush generation. In 1980 the family returned to Barbados, where Kandace attended secondary school before returning to London.

As an adult, Kandace was strongly impacted by the gaping void in children’s literature: there were few books about Black history, and what existed reflected just a slice of the richness and complexity of Black history. She began writing and self-publishing children’s books: her first title was an activity book called Step Back in Time to Ancient Kush (2009). This was followed by The Story of Early Ancient Egypt (2011), Secrets of the Afro Comb: 6,000 Years of Art and Culture (2013) and The Story of the Windrush (republished by Scholastic UK in 2020).

Kandace’s mission to bring Black history to the forefront of cultural conversation has led to her work with museums: she’s worked on children’s trails, workshops, outreach projects, tours on Black history, and various public engagement events and speeches. workplace. She also runs Black history-themed art workshops for children.

Kandace’s accolades include Indie Book of the Month and getting longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2023 in age categories 3 to 14+. Both of these honours were for The Story of Afro Hair: 5,000 Years of History, Fashion and Styles.

You can find her on her website: kandacechimbiri.com or on Instagram @kandacechimbiri or Twitter @knchimbiri