The Storyteller Book Launch at Books of Wonder

Posted by on Jul 15, 2016 in Events | 0 comments

install01

For the launch of The Storyteller, I had the honor of hosting my launch party at the wonderful Manhattan independent children’s bookstore Books of Wonder, and to create a window display for their storefront.

Read More

7 Impossible Things Interview with Evan Turk

Posted by on Jul 15, 2016 in Symbolism, The Art of 'The Storyteller' | 0 comments

coverthumbnail

Julie Danielson at “7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast” interviewed The Storyteller creator Evan Turk about the creation of The Storyteller, upcoming projects, making a picture book, and much more! Take a look to see sketches, thumbnails, and even some ceramics!

7 Impossible Things Interview with Evan Turk

Read More

“Visually thrilling” – The Wall Street Journal

Posted by on Jun 27, 2016 in Reviews | 0 comments

sandstorm2

The storytelling traditions of Morocco burst into brilliant swaths of gold and lapis lazuli in the visually thrilling pages of Evan Turk’s “The Storyteller” (Atheneum, 48 page, $18.99). Set in modern times, this picture book for 4- to 8-year-olds begins by evoking a past when stories spun by fabulists brought people together with a force as refreshing and life-giving as the kingdom’s many fountains. “But as the kingdom grew and life became easier…,” we read, “the voices of storytellers were drowned by noise and silenced by age, and one by one the fountains dried up.”

It is in this sere, story-famished Morocco that a thirsty young boy receives, from a stranger, a brass cup. If he can find water, the cup will allow him to share. Soon the boy encounters a withered old man, who spins a tale of drought and treachery and whose words, to the boy’s amazement, leave his cup brimming with water. Over the next days, the man unfurls more stories, each connected to the first, each a wellspring of fresh water. So when a fierce jinni in the form of a sandstorm arrives to menace the city, the boy and the storyteller know what to do: Like Scheherazade, they forestall destruction by telling stories to the jinni. Mr. Turk’s illustrations lend a strange beauty to this tale-within-a-tale-within-a-tale.

Read More

‘The Storyteller’ in Photos – Publisher’s Weekly

Posted by on Jun 18, 2016 in Reviews, The Art of 'The Storyteller' | 0 comments

morocco_03

Publisher’s Weekly’s “Children’s Bookshelf” recently did a feature photo essay on the creation of ‘The Storyteller’! I talked with them about the inspiration, my trips to Morocco, where I learned some of the techniques, and how the story began! Thank you so much to Natasha Gilmore at PW for reaching out.

 

You can check out a link to see it all below:

Evan Turk’s ‘The Storyteller’ In Photos

Read More

The Storyteller Launch Party at Books of Wonder!

Posted by on Jun 14, 2016 in Events | 0 comments

The Storyteller will be out in stores June 28 and Books of Wonder in New York City will be hosting a launch party on June 30, from 6-8pm. Come by for book signing, original art from the book, a window display, and light refreshments! Hope to see you all there! Please RSVP at the Facebook Event below:

The Storyteller Launch Party at Books of Wonder

 

 

Read More

“When a storyteller dies, a library burns”

Posted by on Jun 3, 2016 in Reviews | 0 comments

16

The old Moroccan saying that Turk shares with readers, “When a storyteller dies, a library burns,” perfectly captures the message of his picture book: stories are life. In drought-stricken Morocco, at the edge of the Sahara desert, a thirsty child’s quest for water leads him to a fountain, where an old, forgotten storyteller sits. He captures the boy’s imagination with a tale, and by the time the man has finished speaking, the boy’s cup has miraculously filled with cool water. Day after day, the boy returns to the fountain, eager to hear more of the story. Meanwhile, a djinn draws near the parched kingdom, threatening to turn it back into desert. The boy—in a Shahrazad-like move—distracts (and defeats!) the djinn by sharing the storyteller’s tales, which simultaneously rejuvenates the city by bringing its people together and replenishing the kingdom’s wells.

Rich illustrations rendered in watercolor, ink, and pencil engulf the pages with desert golds and deep indigo, blending folk-art and contemporary styles. Double-page spreads dramatically illustrate kingdom’s forgetfulness and subsequent incursion of swirling sands, as well as the sapphirine return of water through life-giving words. Turk’s layered ode to storytelling’s magic begs to be shared aloud with a group, though the detailed art merits close inspection. A concluding author’s note on storytelling traditions contextualizes this beautiful, original folktale.— Amina Chaudhri

—Booklist, Starred Review star

Read More