Empathy Day, 2023

Children of the Benin Kingdom is a historical fiction, set in West Africa, for ages 7+

It’s really wonderful that Dinah Orji’s Children of the Benin Kingdom – an immersive adventure story set in the West African historical Kingdom of Benin – was selected for the 2023 #ReadForEmpathy collection. EmpathyLab is a charity that aims to highlight the importance of empathy and the role that children’s literature can play in promoting empathy for others.

The collection comprises 65 books for 3 – 16 year olds, chosen by the expert children's literature panel at the charity. All of the chosen titles are excellent reads – the panel includes teachers, librarians and academics who select books which they are feel are particularly great at helping readers to viscerally experience the world differently, and promote empathy.

EmpathyLab’s annual Empathy Day is on June 8th. There are lots of free resources available for teachers and parents on the EmpathyLab website to celebrate the day and most importantly, prompt discussions around understanding the world from someone else’s point of view. Children of the Benin Kingdom is a great book for promoting understanding about a different culture – and of course, it’s a wonderful adventure story too!