Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) is many things, among them: public official, senior pastor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s former pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, and parent of two young children. Warnock tells PW that all these roles influenced his new picture book, Leo’s Lunch Box (Philomel), out April 22.

The book is the first in the We’re in This Together series, written for children 4–8, which is inspired by—but not explicitly about—Bible tales. Leo's story, featuring a generous boy and his inexhaustible lunch box, is a retelling of Jesus and the miracle of the “loaves and fishes” that fed a multitude. (The second, currently untitled entry in the series is planned for fall 2026.) Jill Santopolo, VP and publisher at Philomel, said that Warnock's series aligns with their mission of putting out books by “inspirational people who have something important to say to the next generation.” Warnock spoke to PW about the series and the moral lessons he hopes to impart.

Why write a series of children’s books?

As a pastor who serves in the United States Senate and therefore has the largest pulpit I've ever had, I thought I should take this opportunity to teach moral lessons to children—like being honest, telling the truth, being generous, compassionate, inclusive, listening to others, loving yourself, respecting yourself, and respecting others. These are values that all parents want to share with their children.

Why did you choose the miracle of the loaves and fishes to begin the series?

One of my favorite Bible stories is the feeding of the 5,000. It's the only miracle story that's in all four of the Gospels. Another word for “gospel” is the good news. And the good news is, we can do something about hunger and need in the world when we all reach out to each other.

Does Leo’s Lunch Box reflect your own experience?

All Leo has for lunch is bologna sandwiches. As a kid who grew up in public housing, I can relate to that. I can't tell you how many times we had bologna sandwiches. In the book I talk about all the different ways the bologna was prepared. I didn’t make that up—that’s lived experience.

Every time Leo shares his food, more and tastier food appears. and Leo even shares with a boy who was unkind to him. Why include that detail?

Generosity is contagious, and in a moment like this in our country, we need to lean into it. We're seeing the voices of hate and bigotry and division hold so much of our public space, and yet in all of our grand faith traditions, there are themes of generosity, love, compassion, justice-making, and truth-telling. As we pass it on, it multiplies the same way the food multiplies.

In addition to struggle, there’s so much joy in this story. What role does joy play in addressing social challenges like food insecurity?

As an African American man, I come from a people who knew how to lean into joy, to embrace the light that shines in the darkness, who know what to do with scarcity. They literally gave us scraps and we made soul food, and they gave us the blues and we made music called the blues. When you're up against forces that deny your very humanity, joy is itself an act of resistance.