Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Esau McCaulley (Isaiah Johnson and the Big Game)!
Meet the Author: Esau McCaulley
Esau McCaulley is the Jonathan Blanchard Associate Professor of New Testament and Public Theology at Wheaton College and the pastor of All Saints Anglican Church in Naperville, Illinois. He hosts the Esau McCaulley Podcast for Holy Post Media, and is the author of numerous books, including How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South, Reading While Black, and the children’s books Josey Johnson’s Hair and the Holy Spirit and Andy Johnson and the March for Justice. A contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, McCaulley has also been published in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Christianity Today.
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About the Book: Isaiah Johnson and the Big Game
A sweet and thoughtful picture book about how we all need forgiveness–even parents–from the bestselling author of Andy Johnson and the March for Justice and Josey Johnson‘s Hair and the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah Johnson‘s baseball team has made it to the championships, and he’s up to bat! Most of the Johnson family is in the stands cheering him on . . . but someone is missing: Isaiah‘s dad.
When Dad finally shows up, he apologizes for his absence and asks for Isaiah‘s forgiveness. But Isaiah is still hurt and isn’t sure if he can forgive.
As a dad who’s made plenty of mistakes himself, Esau McCaulley has crafted a biblically informed story that offers plenty of avenues for discussion on the power of forgiveness.
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~Author Chat~
YABC: What inspired you to write this book?
Often time parents are presented as the ones with all the answers and I know that I fail a lot as a parent. I wanted to write a story that models parents being able to say that I am wrong and I am sorry to their children.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I love adding black history into all my books so I enjoyed the portion that explained the importance of Jackie Robinson.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
You have to write the books that you wished existed as a young reader. You learn to love the process and enjoy the beauty of creation and worry less about public perception.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you want your reader to remember from this book?
Forgiveness is the key to healthy families and that career should never come before your children.
YABC: Do you have a playlist you listened to while writing?
I think I listened to a lot of Kirk Franklin, Lecrae, Taelor Gray, and Jackie Hill Perry.
YABC: Do you have an unusual office supply that helps you in your writing routine?
I do not use pens ever! Only pencils for writing.
YABC: If you could collaborate with any other writer in history, who would it be?
Frederick Douglass
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Hope. I believe that with God on our side all things are possible.
YABC: How do you cope with criticism from editors or the public?
I remember the reason why I begin writing in the first place; it was not to please people, but to add a little beauty to the world.
Title: Isaiah Johnson and the Big Game
Author: Esau McCaulley
Illustrator: Emmanuel Boateng
Release Date: May 5, 2026
Publisher: Convergent Children’s, a Random House Children’s Books imprint
Genre: Children’s Christian Family Fiction, Picture Book
Age Range: 3-7
