Actor Taye Diggs brings new children's book to Naperville

It's hard to imagine that anyone ever made fun of Taye Diggs for his looks, but they did when he was a young boy.

Diggs said he was the only black child in his Rochester, N.Y., neighborhood, and the other kids would call him names and mock his dark skin, wide nose and bright smile.

“I had no reply. I had no defense,” said Diggs, an actor best known for his roles as Dr. Sam Bennett on ABC's “Private Practice” and Winston Shakespeare from the 1998 movie “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.”

“I came home and told my mother I wished I looked like them. So she sat me down and gave me a lesson in self-esteem, and told me to take my differences and use them to raise myself up instead of being ashamed.”

That little mother-to-son chat proved to be a powerful moment for Diggs, who last month released a children's book about the experience called “Chocolate Me!”

Diggs will be at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, to sign copies of the book, which is his first book but probably not his last. The experience of writing a children's book with a positive message has been so inspiring to him, he and his childhood friend — the book's illustrator, Shane Evans, — are planning to produce more books, and maybe even an animated series, based on “Chocolate Me!”

“Being in show business, I have a bit of a platform, so I want to take this opportunity to use it,” Diggs said. “I'm very proud of this project. It's very personal and close to me.”

The book shares its title with a poem Diggs wrote about his self-conscious childhood memories while he was a student at Syracuse University.

Diggs, who twice has been picked for People magazine's annual “Most Beautiful People” list, said his father used to describe black people as “chocolate.” He found that to be a more positive and flattering word than “black” or “African-American.”

“It literally made me feel sweet,” he said.

The message in “Chocolate Me!” applies “100 percent” to other ethnicities, ability levels and sexual orientations, Diggs said.

“It's a message that will, unfortunately, never go out. No matter who you are ... there's always going to be someone who put you on the outside. So it's great to take a moment and embrace the difference and be proud of it,” he said.

Diggs joins a long list of celebrities who have penned children's books in recent years, including Madonna, Joy Behar, Bill Cosby, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gloria Estefan, Duchess Sarah Ferguson, Maria Shriver, Sting and Jerry Seinfeld.

For Diggs, though, this book is personal. Based on the feedback he's heard from parents at recent book signings, people are relating to his experience.

Diggs said one woman told him she was a chubby kid, and her classmates used to make fun of her and call her “meatball.”

“She remembered and quoted the entire incident. When you're a child and certain things happen to you, it can really leave a mark,” he said. “She told me she wished there was a book like this back then ... and that's such a compliment.”

Diggs is married to Broadway actress and singer Idina Menzel and they have a 2-year-old son, Walker.

Diggs read him “Chocolate Me!” and said it was a powerful, full-circle experience.

“Being a father, my views on everything have changed,” he said. “I want to continue along this path.”

Taye Diggs book signing

What: Taye Diggs signs copies of his new children's book, “Chocolate Me!”

When: 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8

Where: Anderson's Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson, Naperville

Info: <a href="http://http://andersons2.indiebound.com">http://andersons2.indiebound.com or (630) 355-2665</a>