A Crown of Stories: The Life and Language of Beloved Writer Toni Morrison

Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3

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. 

How do you tell a story?Toni Morrison was, and remains, a true titan of the arts. The lasting impact of her work, both as an editor and author, simply cannot be overstated. But before she was the Pulitzer Prize– and Nobel Prize–winning author that we all know and love, she was a little girl in Ohio, the only Black child in her first-grade classroom and the only student who was able to read.This is the true story of how that young girl left her impact on a world that she loved—the world of literature.Expertly told by award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford and with gorgeous painted illustrations by debut illustrator Khalif Thompson, this is a must-have picture book biography for parents, teachers, and librarians alike. It celebrates Toni Morrison’s legacy while inspiring readers to create art, believe in themselves, and strive for greatness.

About the Author

Carole Boston Weatherford has written many award-winning books for children, including the Newbery Honor winner BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom and the Caldecott Honor winners Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Her recent books include R-E-S-P-EC-T, The Roots of Rap, Be a King, Dreams for a Daughter, and The Legendary Miss Lena Horne. Carole lives in North Carolina. Visit her at cbweatherford.com.Khalif Tahir Thompson graduated from Purchase College with a BFA and has since completed fellowships at the EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in NYC and the Vermont Studio Center. He has also done the Jerome Emerging Artist residency at the Anderson Center and received a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in painting. Thompson traveled to Dakar, Senegal, to participate as a 2022 Black Rock Senegal artist-in-residence. He is currently attending the Yale School of Art for an MFA in painting and printmaking. A Crown of Stories is his first picture book.