Let's Talk about Race »

Julius Lester is the author of the Newbery Honor Book To Be a Slave, the Caldecott Honor Book John Henry, the National Book Award finalist The Long Journey Home: Stories from Black History, and the Coretta Scott King Award winner Day of Tears. He is also a National Book Critics Circle nominee and a recipient of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. His most recent picture book, Let's Talk About Race, was named to the New York Public Library's "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing." In addition to his critically acclaimed writing career, Mr. Lester has distinguished himself as a civil rights activist, musician, photographer, radio talk-show host, and professor. For thirty-two years he taught at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in western Massachusetts.

I am a story.

So are you.

So is everyone.

Julius Lester says, "I write because our lives are stories. If enough of these stories are told, then perhaps we will begin to see that our lives are the same story. The differences are merely in the details." Now Mr. Lester shares his own story as he explores what makes each of us special. Karen Barbour's dramatic, vibrant paintings speak to the heart of Lester's unique vision, truly a celebration of all of us.

Child Magazine

Powerful, unconventional paintings-at times evocative of Frida Kahlo-add to the impact of this compelling exploration of race. Lester writes in a deeply personal way about how we are much more than our skin color: "Yes, I am black but I am also a man...I have a deep voice and a loud laugh. (I love to laugh. Do you?)" This remarkable book will spark a conversation with your child about not only racism but prejudice of any kind. (ages 6 to 8)
Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2005