Skip to main content

Jump AT The Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston

By

 



Jump At The Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston
Written by Alicia Williams
Illustrated by Jacqueline Alcantara
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2021. Biography.

Zora loved to listen to tales. She could sit for hours and just drink in the folktales of home,  like bee's to honey she was drawn to stories. When she was younger she would look for any excuse to go down to Joe Clarke's store and sit on the front porch and listen to the tales being swapped . When she started telling her own tales, her father and grandmother would get upset with her for telling lies, but her mother saw the value in her stories and she encouraged her to "jump at the sun." Her mother said she may not land on the sun but at least she would get off the ground. So Zora did just as her mother said and she jumped. Even when life was hard she continued to jump and try and through determination and grit she eventually achieved her dream of becoming a writer of stories.

This delightful biography will inspire you to want to learn more, read more, and dream more. The text and illustrations of this book showcase Zora's world in beautiful rich colors that captures the lively enthusiasm and passion Zora had for life and for storytelling. This is a well told inspirational book about Zora Hurston's life and her drive to become a story-catcher. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

By
Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.
Post a Comment
Read more

Dragon Run

By
Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...
1 comment
Read more

Review: We're All Gonna Die-Nosaur!

By
We’re All Gonna Die-nosaur! By Kon Tan  New York: Disney Hyperion, 2025. Intermediate. 157 pages.  Pterry (the “p” is silent) pterodactyl is a worry wart. Pterry is worried about flying (he doesn’t how to fly yet), dinosaurs going extinct (he had a scary dream), and how to protect his family (he has a little brother who hasn’t fully hatched from an egg yet). Even though there is a lot of feels for Pterry, this is actually quite a funny book. Pterry tries to learn how to fly with kites as his “training wheels” and his brother who is inside an egg is quite the adventurer.  This is a funny, heart-felt comic-like intermediate fiction book that will be great for many readers. If kids love dinosaurs, this book is for them. If kids like funny graphic novels, this book is for them. If kids want to read something about facing fears and doing things even though they don’t always want to, this book is for them. Plus, even though Pterry does a lot of things on his own, he still has s...
Post a Comment
Read more