PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: The Storyteller by Lindsay Bonilla & Noar Lee Naggan
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ABOUT THE BOOK
Featuring an evocative text and luminous paintings, this stunning book celebrates the power of stories—how they connect us, inspire us, and keep memories alive.
Griffin’s grandmother spins the most marvelous stories, from breathtaking fairy tales to fascinating family lore. These stories fuel his imagination and fill their days with magic. So when he sees her once-bright spark begin to fade, Griffin is scared to think of the future. Fortunately, though, he has her stories to guide him—and to remind him that he is braver than he could ever imagine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR
Lindsay Bonilla is a professional storyteller and author whose previous picture books include Parents’ Choice Award winner Polar Bear Island, I Love You with All of My Hearts, and The Note Who Faced the Music. She lives with her husband, two wild and creative kids, and her dog, Blitzen, in North Canton, Ohio. Learn more at lindsaybonilla.com.
Noar Lee Naggan (noarleenaggan.com) also illustrated Lilah Tov Good Night (by Ben Gundersheimer). Originally from Israel, with a background in animation and graphic design, he is now a full-time illustrator in Edinburgh, Scotland.
REVIEW
A young boy delights in listening to his grandmother's stories. As she fills him up with bread and milk, she also fills him up with stories. Griffin's favorite stories are the ones in which his grandmother is a main character; where she has a best friend who's a talking cat or lived in a house that looked like a shoe. Griffin even finds himself becoming a character in her stories. The tender relationship between grandmother and grandson, storyteller and story listener, shines through brilliantly in this story that blends the real and the fantastical. When it comes time for the storyteller to depart (die), Griffin helps her go by using a toy cow to purchase magical beans (they look a lot like jelly beans) which grows a beanstalk into the sky. As he says goodbye, she reminds him, "Keep the stories alive, my love." And he does. Readers see the boy next as a storyteller himself, both verbal and visual. The book clearly honors the power of stories to inspire and connect us as people, even with those who are gone. The illustrations blend with the text in such a fantastical way showing both the relationship of the boy and the storyteller, but also the connections between fantasy and reality. The book would make a great discussion starter both in and out of a classroom as children allow their imaginations to roam free as they share stories from their own lives.
SAMPLE ILLUSTRATIONS
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