Preaching to the Chickens The Story of Young John Lewis [Hardcover]

ANew York TimesBest Illustrated Book

Critically acclaimed author Jabari Asim and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator E. B. Lewis give readers a fascinating glimpse into the boyhood of Civil Rights leader John Lewis.
 
John wants to be a preacher when he grows up—a leader whose words stir hearts to change, minds to think, and bodies to take action. But why wait? When John is put in charge of the family farm’s flock of chickens, he discovers that they make a wonderful congregation! So he preaches to his flock, and they listen, content under his watchful care, riveted by the rhythm of his voice.
 
Celebrating ingenuity and dreaming big, this inspirational story, featuring Jabari Asim’s stirring prose and E. B. Lewis’s stunning, light-filled impressionistic watercolor paintings, includes an author’s note about John Lewis, who grew up to be a member of the Freedom Riders, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and demonstrator on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. John Lewis is now a Georgia congressman, who is still an activist today, recently holding a sit-in on the House floor of the U.S. Capitol to try to force a vote on gun violence. HisMarch: Book Threerecently won the National Book Award, as well as the American Library Association's Coretta Scott King Author Award, Printz Award, and Sibert Award.“The poignant, observant watercolors . . . are bathed in subtly changing light, making homespun scenes of country life seem celestial and exalted.”—TheNew York Times Book Review

*“A glimpse into the childhood whimsy of an important African-American congressman who has become famous for his words. . . . Illustrator Lewis' signature watercolors paint a lively picture of John Lewis' life growing up on a farm with a close and hardworking Christian family. The liveliness of the chickens as well as John's concern and caló2