From Academy Award-Winning Actress LUPITA NYONG’O

and New York Times Bestselling Illustrator VASHTI HARRISON

A #1 New York Times bestseller!

Recipient of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award

Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything.

In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty.

Sulwe's Song

Meet the Author

Photo © Nick Barose

Lupita Nyong’o is a Kenyan actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in the film 12 Years a Slave, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as multiple accolades, including the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Critics’ Choice Award, the Independent Spirit Award, and the NAACP Award. She has since starred in Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ryan Coogler’s record-breaking box office hit Black Panther, and most recently in Jordan’s Peele’s critically acclaimed horror film Us. Nyong’o earned a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in Danai Gurira’s play Eclipsed. She lives in Brooklyn.

Meet the Illustrator

Vashti Harrison, author and illustrator of the bestselling Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, is an artist, author, and filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. She earned her MFA in film and video from California Institute of the Arts, where she snuck into animation and illustration classes to learn from Disney and DreamWorks legends. There she rekindled a love for drawing and painting. Now she uses her love for both film and illustration to craft beautiful stories for children.

FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS & LIBRARIANS

Downloadable Activity Sheet

Curriculum Guide

In honor of celebrating dark skin, we partnered with these women entrepreneurs to create special items with the essence of Sulwe in mind.

Flexin’ in My Complexion T-Shirt

FLEXIN’ IN MY COMPLEXION was created by then 10-year-old Kheris Rogers to encourage others to be confident in who they are, no matter their differences. Last year, she became the youngest person ever to show during NY Fashion Week. “What made me want to start Flexin’ in My Complexion was me getting bullied for my skin color, my skin complexion. And I want other people to know that they’re not alone.”

Kheris Rogers | FlexinInMyComplexion.com | @kherispoppin

“Brightness is Just Who You Are” Enamel Pin

COLORING PINS is here to add a bit more color to the pin game.

“Coloring Pins was birthed from my wanting to wear pins, but not seeing any for me on the market. There are tons of cute pins, but none of them resonated with me or made me feel like I had to have them. I wanted a pin that was an extension of me, and I wanted to be able to walk with a pin that spoke before I did.”

Essence Hayes | ColoringPins.com | @coloringpins

Sulwe Star Necklace

NIRVANA WILD is a handmade jewelry brand featuring unique crystal jewelry with ancient, mystic flair. “I started Nirvana Wild as a way to prove to myself and my daughter that we could make our dreams come true in life. It’s always been important to me that I not only tell her she can achieve anything but that I show her by doing it for myself first. One day when she’s doing her own thing and it gets tough she can look to this journey for courage and light. That way she always remembers that “Brightness is Just Who [We] Are.“

ShaKara Zulu | NirvanaWild.com | @nirvana.wild

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Sulwe is now available as an audiobook, read by Lupita!

Listen to a Clip

Hardcovers & E-Books