I Am the World

From the Coretta Scott King Award–winning photographer of My People, an illuminating pairing of poetry and portraits depicts the splendor of our global community.

I am the world.
I am strong.
I am the spirit
of generations gone.

The children of our world come in many colors, shapes, and sizes. Celebrate the vibrancy, the fibers, and the ingredients that define the unique nature of cultural heritages across the globe and the universal truths that unite each and every one of us in this rich, elegant verse paired with striking, diverse images from award-winning poet and photographer, Charles. R. Smith, Jr.

Charles R. Smith Jr. is an acclaimed poet and the Coretta Scott King Award–winning illustrator of My People, a picture book based on the poem by Langston Hughes. He is also the illustrator of If, the author and photographer of I Am the World, and he won the Coretta Scott King Author Honor for his book Twelve Rounds To Glory. He grew up in California and attended the Brooks Institute of Photography. A magazine and book cover photographer in addition to a picture book creator, Charles lives with his wife and kids in Poughkeepsie, New York. Visit him at CharlesRSmithJr.com.