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Reviewed by: A Crown of Stories: The Life and Language of Beloved Writer Toni Morrison by Carole Boston Weatherford Adam McConville Weatherford, Carole Boston A Crown of Stories: The Life and Language of Beloved Writer Toni Morrison; illus. by Khalif Thompson. Quill Tree HarperCollins, 2024 48p Trade ed. ISBN 9780062911032 19. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 4-8 yrs "How do you tell a story? " Weatherford begins in this second-person picture book biography directly addressed to acclaimed author Toni Morrison. The book presents a lyrically written answer to that question, a celebration more so than simple recounting of life. From a childhood spent learning and reading in Lorain, Ohio, to a young adulthood studying in Washington D. C. , where she encountered the segregation her parents moved North to escape, Morrison absorbed the world around her. Her understanding informed her later work as an editor shepherding Black voices to publication, an author driven to write about Black people, and a professor instructing others to hone their craft. All of this contextualization builds to spreads that explore Morrison's literary works, including The Black Book, a collaged compilation of African American history, and her novels, avoiding plot specifics to focus on characteristics, thematic resonance, and artistry. Thompson's mixed media End Page 338 art is a warm-toned, inviting blend of paint and collaged paper, playing with abstraction to present people and buildings in either simple shapes or realistic detail, features layered in broad, striking strokes of paint. The intimacy of the second-person writing and the layered visuals make for a solid entry point into the how and why of Morrison's storytelling, a fitting crown that encourages readers to seek out more of Morrison's uplifting complexity. An author's note is included, and a backmatter timeline offers specific years for events mentioned in the text. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Adam McConville (Thu,) studied this question.