Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree

by William Miller

Reading Rainbow Selection, PBS Kids
Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Pick of the List, American Bookseller's Association The true story of the famous writer, who as a young girl, learned about hope and strength from her mother. Zora is full of dreams. From the top of the chinaberry tree, she dreams of living in the cities beyond the horizon. Her father thinks she should wear dresses and leave dreaming and tree-climbing to boys. But her mother teaches Zora that like each new branch of the chinaberry tree, dreams are always within reach. Independent and full of spirit, Zora explores her hometown and listens to the stories of its people -- stories her mother makes her promise to remember. But it isn't until Zora is faced with her mother's death that she realizes the importance of her promise. Based on autobiographical writings of the renowned African American writer Zora Neale Hurston, this is a story that will appeal to all readers who, like Zora, believe in their dreams.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Childrens, African American, History, Womens

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

Reviews

[Shanna]

An inspirational story of the life of Zora Hurston, an African-American author. Great for instilling confidence and proving the message, "you can be anything you want to be if you set your mind to it".

[Julia]

A picture book about Zora Neale Hurston as a child, who dreams. I borrowed this from interlibrary loan.

[Barbara Lovejoy]

It is a delight to read about the life of authors I like.

[Bruce]

As a child in Florida, Zora Hurston loved to climb a chinaberry tree to look out over the lands that lay beyond her small town and dreamed of going there. Her mother encouraged her dreaming and told her that she could be anything that she wanted to be. Her father, on the other hand, said that tree climbing was for boys, and Zora would do better by wearing a dress and do more traditionally female activities. The future author and folklorist decided to follow her mother’s advice.

[Jess Wisloski]

A beautifully illustrated depiction of an incident in the famous African American writer Zora Hurston’s childhood, which incorporates themes of self-esteem, independence, critical thinking about the world around you, heritage and African American history while treading lightly across slavery, and the role of an observer and storyteller in preserving history.

[Sandy]

Beautiful watercolor illustrations and a sad, but inspiring story. The narrative is a bit choppy and my daughter was left confused by a few sections where the story jumped around. This picture book focuses solely on Hurston's childhood and her mother's death. Hurston's later success as a novelist is only briefly mentioned in the author's note.

[Ruth]

I am always drawn to watercolor art. The art in this book is gorgeous!

I am also drawn to parents that encourage their daughters' love of climbing trees and not listening to the men in their lives who tell them to "be a lady". Zora's mom was wonderful!

[Miyako R]

It is such a deep book and has a word count of probably 500. I love authors who can keep it short and sweet, allowing my mind to develop.

[Miriam]

A portion of Zora hurston life. It made me want to read her work.

[Melanie Gaum]

This was a very nice book. I grew up in central Florida and went to the Zora Neale Hurston Festival on a field trip in 2nd or 3rd grade.

[Geo Hendrick]

Good story about remembering what people say. Inspiring great pictures.

[Annie Carbutt]

Classic Picture book –Zora is inquisitive and adventurous, which her mother encourages. When Zora’s mother dies from sickness, Zora runs to the chinaberry tree, looks up into the sky, and promises to see the world like her mother wanted. This book is powerful, but in a subtle way. The illustrations are watercolor, creating a somewhat blurry, far-off feel, like we are reading a memory. The color pallet is clean and warm, which deepens the effect of reading a sweet memory. The words aren’t excessive, telling just enough to let the reader gather clues from the silences and beautiful pictures. I would use this book to teach children about living their dreams and how this helps fulfill their parents’ dreams as well.

[Heloyce]

A short account of Zora's Hurston's relationship with a mother who encouraged her to remember the stories she has been told and believe that her dreams are within her reach.

[Jim]

perfect art.

[Tory]

Beautiful illustrations and a lovely story that contextualizes a famous author.

[Lynne Marie]

An effective and inspiring biography