Zora, the story keeper

Title:

Author:

Summary:

When Zora grows up, she wants to be just like Aunt Bea. Aunt Bea is the best storyteller she knows! Every day after school, Zora heads to her aunt’s house, where they take out their family book and turn Aunt Bea’s kitchen into their stage. They raid Aunt Bea’s costume chest, filled with colorful garments from her acting days, and even do special voices to tell the stories of swimming coaches, Sunday preachers, World War II pilots, and more—all real members of their family. Zora can’t wait to find out what her story will be. As the days pass, Zora notices something’s happening to Aunt Bea. She gets tired more quickly, and sometimes she needs Zora to tell the stories instead. Zora never imagined that Aunt Bea’s tales would ever stop, but in addition to creating lots of joy and a lifetime of memories, Aunt Bea had been working on her greatest gift of all: preparing Zora to become the story keeper. -- Amazon.

Audience:

Ages 4-8. Kokila.

Grades 2-3. Kokila.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 24 x 29 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Subject Term:

African American families -- Juvenile fiction.

Storytelling -- Juvenile fiction.

Aunts -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Coulter, Dare,

Publisher:

Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9781984816917

Publication Information:

New York : Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2023.

Call Number:

P WILKINS

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003693622	New Picture Books	WILKINS	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A young Black girl and her aunt celebrate the wonder and magic of their family's legacy through storytelling.

When Zora grows up, she wants to be just like Aunt Bea. Aunt Bea is the best storyteller she knows! Every day after school, Zora heads to her aunt's house, where they take out their family book and turn Aunt Bea's kitchen into their stage. They raid Aunt Bea's costume chest, filled with colorful garments from her acting days, and even do special voices to tell the stories of swimming coaches, Sunday preachers, World War II pilots, and more-all real members of their family. Zora can't wait to find out what her story will be. As the days pass, Zora notices something's happening to Aunt Bea. She gets tired more quickly, and sometimes she needs Zora to tell the stories instead. Zora never imagined that Aunt Bea's tales would ever stop, but in addition to creating lots of joy and a lifetime of memories, Aunt Bea had been working on her greatest gift of all- preparing Zora to become the story keeper.

Lyrically told by Dr. Ebony Joy Wilkins and exquisitely rendered with mixed-media illustrations by Dare Coulter, Zora, the Story Keeper captures the richness and scope of Black American life through the lens of one family across generations.

Author Notes

Ebony Joy Wilkins, Ph.D. is an English professor, writer, and founder of Curriculum Cafe. She is the author of If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad , Claudette Colvin Refuses to Move , the Mathical Honor Book DK Life Stories- Katherine Johnson , and more. Ebony lives in Chicago. Read more about her books and subscription service, Ebony Kids, at ebonyjoywilkins.com.

Dare Coulter is an award-winning sculptor, muralist, and artist. Her mission for her artwork is to create positive imagery of Black people and families. Dare is currently based in Raleigh, North Carolina but hopes to have her murals and monumental sculptures to black joy live all over the world. Learn more about her work at darecoulter.com.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1--Zora wants to be like Aunt Bea when she grows up. A gifted storyteller with a trunk of costumes, Aunt Bea tells the best stories about their family members as she throws on the costumes and uses funny voices. There's Grandma Jean who used to coach a swim team and Grandpa Tom who was a preacher. Zora and Aunt Bea turn the kitchen into a stage as they act out these stories from the past. When Aunt Bea starts needing to rest more and is not telling the stories as well, Zora begins to worry. It'll be okay. Even after Aunt Bea passes on, Zora knows she's been well-equipped to carry on the tradition. This book is a poignant reminder to readers that though the people they love will die, they will live on in stories. In addition to the vibrantly illustrated pages, there are also photographs from the author's and illustrator's lives interspersed throughout. Black characters of varied skin tones and hair textures grace the picture book's pages. VERDICT A family's stories pass down to the next generation of story keepers in this beautifully illustrated work that's a must-purchase for picture book collections.--Myiesha Speight

Publisher's Weekly Review

A child named Zora recounts their adventures with Aunt Bea, "the best storyteller I know," in this moving picture book. A former acting teacher, Aunt Bea dresses up to perform stories, including those about relatives written in the "family book." Textured images contrast Aunt Bea's entertaining costumed performances, in full color, with sepia-tone scenes of the duo's family; Aunt Bea wears a swim cap to act out Grandma Jean's time as a swim coach, and dabs her forehead while pantomiming Grandpa Tom's sermons. Sometimes Zora joins Aunt Bea, making the kitchen a stage. Zora wonders what Aunt Bea will write on Zora's page, a question that goes unanswered when Aunt Bea becomes sick, then dies. At a family celebration of Bea's life, Zora is given the family book and an envelope of photos of Zora and Aunt Bea together. On one page is written "Zora, the Story Keeper"--alongside plenty of room for Zora to tell Aunt Bea's story, and others. Wilkins (If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad) and Coulter (An American Story) create a tender, smartly constructed tribute to love, storytelling, and family history. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group. Illustrator's agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Oct.)