FICTION

The Storyteller

by Lindsay Bonilla (text) & illus. by Noar Lee Naggan
Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. Mar. 2024. 32p. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780593109588.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 3–Griffin grows up listening to his grandmother’s wondrous storytelling. She weaves their family history and his life into every fable and fairy tale, bonding them together as he grows from a baby to a boy. When her light begins to fade with age and illness, Griffin seeks the stories he knows to stay connected to her, and ultimately, carries her stories—their stories—forward once she’s gone. Illustrations in an innocence-imbued American folk style bring the story to life in saturated colors. Though elements of the plot are abstract and the reference to one character as both “grandmother” and “storyteller” may confuse younger children, this is a sweet representation of the ultimate soft place to land: in an adoring grandparent’s love.
VERDICT A fresh selection to offer to young children experiencing the loss of a loved one; a good choice for the grief or intergenerational shelves.
Reviewed by Jennifer Noonan , May 03, 2024

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