  | Crown of stories : the life and language of beloved writer Toni Morrison Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
The inspiring true story of Toni Morrison, an African American woman who came from humble roots in Lorain, Ohio, and rose to become one of the greatest writers in modern history.
| Illustrator: | Thompson, Khalif Tahir |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (02/15/24)
School Library Journal (00/05/24)
Booklist (03/15/24)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/05/24)
The Hornbook (+) (00/05/24)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 05/01/2024 Gr 1–5—Renowned author Toni Morrison is celebrated in the latest offering from Weatherford. The opening line, "How do you tell a story?" is answered in Weatherford's signature style, weaving together events from Morrison's remarkable personal and professional life in a series of poetic verses. From her struggles as a Black woman coming to adulthood in the 1950s to her triumphant successes—becoming a prolific author, the first Black senior editor at a major publishing house, a Princeton professor, and winning both a Pulitzer and a Nobel prize—Morrison's life is set against a backdrop of stunning, vividly colored illustrations created with paint, collage, and stencils. This combination of vibrant images with compelling text, told in second-person narrative throughout, gives readers a visceral experience often missing from biographies written for children. The pacing is skewed; on some pages the text is confined to a short paragraph, while on others it fills almost all of the available space. However, the strength of the writing and the outstanding illustrations make up for this. Back matter includes an author's note, bibliography, and time line, which includes historical events not mentioned in the text. VERDICT In addition to being a useful mentor text on the second-person voice, this is an excellent addition to biography collections and displays highlighting Black and Women's History months.—Sue Morgan - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
