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.
