The Story

Hello. My name is Zuri Louis, author & illustrator of the book “I See Colors,” based on the children’s poem I wrote last summer. With all of the civil unrest we experienced during 2020, added onto a global pandemic, it was a crazy year for all of us, especially for the children.

I had many friends come to me during this time asking for advice on how to talk to their kids about racial inequality and the Black Lives Matter movement. Being a woman of mixed race - Western & Eastern European, African, Ashkenazi Jew, and Native American - gives me a unique perspective that many of my friends do not have. During this turbulent year leading up to The BLM movement and everything that followed, these conversations inspired me to write something positive about skin color in a way that kids can understand. This poem is the result.

As a graphic designer, painter, and photographer, writing and illustrating a children's book is something I have always wanted to do. This unprecedented time has given me the perfect opportunity to do so on a topic I believe is one of the most important topics in society.

Thanks!