Preaching to the Chickens is a children’s book that offers a beautiful glimpse into the boyhood of Civil Rights leader John Lewis. Long before Congressman Lewis became a key figure in ending racial segregation in America, little John was one of nine siblings living on the family’s farm in southern Alabama. It was in that unlikely environment, heavy with labor and love, that young Lewis found his voice as a leader.
In the book, 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.
E.B. Lewis's expressive watercolors are always beautiful and add emotion to any story, including this one about the young life of John Lewis and his attachment to the chickens on the farm he grew up on.
