2008 Commissioned to write ‘My two Grandads’ by Frances Lincoln Books
(published 2010)

2005 Commissioned to write ‘The Arms of Britannia’ sequel to ‘Coming to England’
by Walker Books. (published 2008)

2005 Commissioned to write ‘My two Grannies’ by Frances Lincoln Books
(published 2008)

2003 BBC Television used 'Coming to England' to teach cultural diversity and creative writing in school.

2000 'Coming to England' is now on the National Schools' Reading List

1999 Both 'Coming to England' and 'Skip Across the Ocean' published as educational titles for use in the National Curriculum

1998 Judge for the Whitbread Book Awards

1997 'Coming to England' published in paperback by Puffin

1996 Joined the Advisory Panel for the National Reading Initiative, set up by the Department of National Heritage to encourage children to read more books.

1996 Joined the Advisory Panel for the National Reading Initiative, set up by the Department of National Heritage to encourage children to read more books.

1995 Worked with several councils, spearheading a campaign to get children to read books and promoted it on Border Television and West Country TV. Promoted and judged environmental books for children for Friends of the Earth.

1995 Twentieth book published - ‘Coming to England’

1994 Nineteenth book published.

1992 Judge for Smarties Book Prize

1988-90 Spearheaded a campaign for libraries encouraging children to read books.

1987 Written three other books by now and asked to spearhead Orbis Books and be Editorial Advisor to Century Hutchinson Children’s Books.

1986 Chairman of the Smarties Book Prize

1985 A judge and presenter of the Smarties Book prize. She made a plea to publishers to have black faces in books. Many of them responded and culturally diverse faces appeared in many children's books the following year.

1984 Appointed patron of BookSpread, an organisation which encourages children of all backgrounds to read books.

1984 Judge on Parents Magazine and WH Smith best books for children where she pointed out that ethnic children were not featured or illustrated in any of the books. WH Smith took up her cause and opened a section in their shops to cater for this market. They sent out a message to all publishers that they would only stock their books if on their list were books with ethnic faces.

1983 Wrote first book for Methuen.