Jump at the Sun

By Alicia D. Williams, Jacqueline Alcantara (Illustrator)

A girl leaps into the world, capturing untold stories and changing literature forever.

4.3/5 Goodreads · 747 ratings

48 pages

$17.99Save 7%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Zora Neale Hurston, a girl with an insatiable thirst for stories, follows her mother's advice to 'jump at de sun.' From listening to folktales on a store porch to studying at Howard University and thriving in Harlem, Zora illuminates forgotten tales. Her journey uncovers a culture of overlooked literature, transforming the landscape of American storytelling. What stories will she uncover next, and how will they change the world?

From the publisher

From the Newbery Honor-winning author of Genesis Begins Again comes a shimmering picture book that shines the light on Zora Neale Hurston, the extraordinary writer and storycatcher extraordinaire who changed the face of American literature. Zora was a girl who hankered for tales like bees for honey. Now, her mama always told her that if she wanted something, “to jump at de sun”, because even though you might not land quite that high, at least you’d get off the ground. So Zora jumped from place to place, from the porch of the general store where she listened to folktales, to Howard University, to Harlem. And everywhere she jumped, she shined sunlight on the tales most people hadn’t been bothered to listen to until Zora. The tales no one had written down until Zora. Tales on a whole culture of literature overlooked…until Zora. Until Zora jumped.

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