Lupita Nyong’o Narrates Audiobook of Her Bestselling Children’s Book, SULWE

Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o will be releasing a new project later this month.

Penguin Random House has announced that Nyong’o will narrate an audiobook edition of her No.1 New York Times bestselling children’s book, Sulwe, that will be released by Listening Library on Feb. 23, 2021.

“I’m thrilled to share Sulwe with readers in a new way,” says Nyong’o in a written statement. “It was exciting for me to record the audiobook myself for listeners to get to hear the voices of Sulwe, her family, and the magical world of Night and Day as I hear them in my mind. I hope families will enjoy listening together and that it sparks conversations about what makes each of us uniquely beautiful.”

#Sulwe is going to be an audiobook too! I loved recording the voices of all the characters. It brought back sweet memories of reading aloud with my mother. Can’t wait for you to hear it. Out February 23 via @PRHAudio.
Pre-order here: https://t.co/3By2i2U1h3 pic.twitter.com/mZ6MLfisEY

— Lupita Nyong’o (@Lupita_Nyongo) January 22, 2021

Sulwe, which was published in print back in 2019, ended up an immediate bestseller and earned a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for Vashti Harrison’s art, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children’s Literary Work, and wide critical acclaim.

Nyong’o tackles colorism in the children’s book. According to the book’s description, 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.

Back in October of 2019, the actress told Good Morning America, “When I was younger, I had trouble accepting my skin. I grew up in Kenya around very many dark people, but I grew up with a lot of light skin on TV and in the books, I read and it made me feel uncomfortable with my skin color.”

“I had a younger sister that was born a lot lighter than me and she got … told how pretty she was, and I realized that it was in the omission of those words when it came to me that made me feel unworthy and so it took a while for me to find my stride and learn to love the skin I’m in. So I wrote this book to help little kids get there a little faster.”