Parker Looks Up An Extraordinary Moment

Parker Looks Up tells the true story of Parker Curry, a young girl whose visit to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, becomes a life-changing experience. Accompanied by her family and best friend, Parker explores the museum until she encounters Amy Sherald's portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama. The painting captivates Parker, who sees not just a First Lady, but a queen, embodying self-assurance, regality, and truth. This moment, which became an internet sensation, beautifully illustrates the power of representation and how art can inspire children to see endless possibilities for themselves. It's a wonderful book for discussing art, identity, and the importance of role models with children aged 3-7.

A New York Times bestseller! A visit to Washington, DC’s National Portrait Gallery forever alters Parker Curry’s young life when she views First Lady Michelle Obama’s portrait. When Parker Curry came face-to-face with Amy Sherald’s transcendent portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery, she didn’t just see the First Lady of the United States. She saw a queen—one with dynamic self-assurance, regality, beauty, and truth who captured this young girl’s imagination. When a nearby museum-goer snapped a photo of a mesmerized Parker, it became an internet sensation. Inspired by this visit, Parker, and her mother, Jessica Curry, tell the story of a young girl and her family, whose trip to a museum becomes an extraordinary moment, in a moving picture book. Parker Looks Up follows Parker, along with her baby sister and her mother, and her best friend Gia and Gia’s mother, as they walk the halls of a museum, seeing paintings of everyone and everything from George Washington Carver to Frida Kahlo, exotic flowers to graceful ballerinas. Then, Parker walks by Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama…and almost passes it. But she stops...and looks up! Parker saw the possibility and promise, the hopes and dreams of herself in this powerful painting of Michelle Obama. An everyday moment became an extraordinary one…that continues to resonate its power, inspiration, and indelible impact. Because, as Jessica Curry said, “anything is possible regardless of race, class, or gender.” **FOREWORD BY ARTIST AMY SHERALD**